# ACU at UCH, London



## CATHERINE1 (May 10, 2005)

hello^

Was wondering if anyone is attending the above clinic and how you are getting on ?

Wishing you all loads of


----------



## AlmaMay (Oct 15, 2004)

Hi,

Welcome to FF.  You might want to do a search for the clinic on the seach facility available on the site.  It is at the top of the page.  Just click on the 'search' button and fill in the criteria.

Good luck.


----------



## Alvie (May 26, 2005)

Hi Catherine
I had treatment at UCH - currently 29 weeks pregnant from it.  My experiences there were generally good and we are very grateful to them for our positive result.  We saw Mr Ranieri.  He has a bit of an off-putting manner at first, but he was kind to us and we warmed to him after a couple of appointments.  The nurses we saw were - without exception - warm and kind.
I had GIFT rather than IVF due to my low ovarian reserve
Best of luck with any treatment you have
x
Alvie


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hello

I am ACU aswell. Have had 2 failed iui attempts and now moving on to ivf. Really worried about it and just want to get going. Should be starting any day now! Let me know how you have found the clinic.

Good luck


----------



## WooWoo (Jan 16, 2006)

Hi there

I am thinking of joining the above clinic - but am still torn between two. Have you had any feedback on the above clinic

W


----------



## wadadlis (Dec 10, 2004)

I started treatment at UCH in January, so far have found them extremely efficient, sympathetic and helpful.  Only at sniffing stage so far so can't really comment much, though first impressions are very good.


----------



## Puglet (Jul 6, 2005)

Hi Ladies  

I'm also at UCH and am currently on dreaded 2ww (16 days precisely - v.v. long one!).

Alvie, many congratulations!    I've changed my ID from "Humphery" since July.  You've been my inspiration!  (This is my first attenpt since abandoned last July if you recall.  We were all prepared for GIFT until my EC inc. Dr Ranieri, but everything went exceedingly beyond expectation, and ended up with 5 blastocysts and having IVF!!!)

Wadadlis, you must be due for EC soon?  Wishing you all the very best - theatre nurses are absolutely hilarious!  Embryologists are thorough, kind and patient.  Hope all goes well for your.  Dr Ranieri even cracked a joke about "Golden shower" (sorry if TMI) during my ET, so although he appears rather stern, he has funny side too.

WooWoo, it's very good clinic - I know ARGC has better stats, but at least there's no stress from having to go on their waiting list.  Have you decided which clinic to go yet?

Well, sorry it went on a bit...  Blowing bubbles to all UCH ladies, and loads of  

Puglet x


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

hello,

I joined the website yesterday and had my consultation with Mr Ranieri at UCH yesterday too....so just to say hello really!! Starting the treatment in about 6 weeks time so just preparing myself by having a nose on the website and reading peoples comments....

so - hello!!

Lou xx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hi Lou

I was at the clinic yesterday and also had a meeting with Mr Ranieri! I was due to start sniffing next week but unfortunately the results from the OST were not clear enough so I have to repeat the blood test next month    I will probably be starting the treatment at the same time as you so would love to keep in touch.

Good Luck and Welcome!


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

Hi Meg,

So what happens now - do you have to wait another month and then have another OST? (I'm a bit in the dark about all the processes, Mr Ranieri went through it yesterday but didn't really go into what can go wrong) So what did they say about the OST? Was it just unclear? 


I will definitely keep posting, I think the website is great as it's nice to speak to other people going through the same thing, I don't really want to bore friends and family with it all as I always feel that they don't really know what to say for the best!!

hope everything goes ok,

Lou x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hello All

I'm a UCH old-timer. First joined them in August 2004, and was lined up for IVF November 2004 but got pg naturally -- sadly m/c . Since then, I've done a failed IVF with them (great response to treatment, but my embryos aren't the best quality), and since then I've done 4 IUIs, currently on 2ww.

I am very loyal to the clinic as they are a good team of people. I have had just about everybody there (I've been there so long), including Mr Serhal who is quite a character but a decent chap. I know some people say he can be a bit eccentric, but he is very much concerned with the science side of things and I have respect for his knowledge and experience. Mr Ranieri is nice, as is Mr Ozturk. I particularly like one of the Drs (Nandi), as she is very sweet and compassionate, and Dr Iffat who generally does scans. She is a calm, mature lady who -- as one nurse told me -- is the glue that keeps them all together. The nurses cannot be faulted.

Things have generally improved a great deal since they moved to their new unit at the Eastman Hospital. They are not on top of each other, as they were in the old place, and the mood seems more relaxed as there is more space and privacy for staff and patients.

I'm not sure if I will be at UCH much longer, as I am running out of options in terms of treatment. But I would certainly recommend them to anyone who was interested.

I wish you all luck in your treatments.

Love

Jaffa
xx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hello  

Sorry to hear that things haven't worked out so far for you Jaffa but stay positive, you never know this month could be the one for you. I agree the clinic is very good although  my first appointment with Paul Serhal was frightening and i didnt think i would go back! .I have now got my head around the whole thing and am very happy at the clinic.

Lou, yes i have to wait another long 28 days to do repeat the ost because the results were so unclear. Mr. Ranieri thought it was because i had come in too early for the test and infact it wasnt day 3+4 of the cycle. I think you have to wait until you have a full flow until you can class it as day 1 but unfortunately with me it often is a slow start and i should of waited a couple more days.

Let me know what stage you are at.

love Meg

xxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hiya Meg

Good luck for your next OST test, and sorry you've got to wait a bit more time. 

I chuckled when I read what you wrote about Mr Serhal -- he is sometimes a very intense chap! But I've had a number of consultations with him now, and I have really warmed to him, as had DH. He can be surprisingly fun and caring when the mood takes him, though I know he's fierce a lot of the time.

Hope things go well for you and I look forward to reading how you get on.

Love

Jaffa


----------



## Cita (Apr 9, 2005)

Hi Jaffa,
I have more or less your profile. am 36, dh 42. 1st iv july05 and trying to have the 2nd. 
I wish you're well and best of luck .
I can't start the 2nd ivf, cos I've a cyst ! Have you any knowledge if we could start the treatement with a cyst. It's what M Ranieri is suggesting but I'm to afraid.

Big hug,
Cita


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Cita

Yes, we are very similar aren't we, especially as we've both got adhesions  

I'm afraid I don't know about cysts and ivf -- have you posted a query on these boards? Cysts are just about the only thing I haven't got, as I've got everything else: PCOS, blocked tube, adhesions, short luteal phase, some male factor issues, poor quality embryos! I'm a bit of a reject as it goes  

I suggest you ask a few more people on here about their experiences. I'd also be inclined to trust Dr Ranieri's judgement, as he does seem to know his stuff.

Let me know, whatever you decide, and good luck.

love

Jaffa xx


----------



## Succotash (Feb 25, 2005)

I didn't realise there was a UCH thread and have just stumbled across it.  I thought I'd say hello   as I'm a UCH veteran and we've had all our tx there.  I've often wondered why it is mentioned so rarely on this site as their stats are soooo good.  Bit of a hidden gem I reckon.  

We are very grateful that we have a lovely 2 year old DS from our tx there.  I do think the lab and the embryologists are particularly good.  They've managed to get us some great fertilisation which is awesome considering the extent of our MF.  We're trying for a sibling and keep getting so far - one chemical and one missed m/c plus a couple of BFNs for good measure.

I was in the new place this week.  OMG what a difference from the old place.  It is so lush in comparison.  I just love Dr Iffat.  It is so lovely to be scanned by her and she always manages to say just the right thing.  I found Mr S a bit scary to begin with but his judgement has always been sound when it comes to our tx.  Before our last tx I had convinced myself that I had 'immune' problems and that ARGC might solve them  .  Mr S swore blind that I didn't and he was right!  I find all the staff really accessible and the nursing team are good too, particularly Leigh who is so on the ball.

Didn't intend this to be such a 'love-in'.  I am gearing up to do a medicated FET in March.

Good luck everyone,    , Succotash.


----------



## Puglet (Jul 6, 2005)

Cita

I'm sorry to hear about your cyst.  Did Dr Ranieri find the cyst during HyCoSy?  If so, I had similar thing last July.  

I was all psyched up to have my first round of IVF, and then was told that the cyst needs checking out by hysteroscopy, and he referred me back to EGA(UCH) to have it done.  I was really eager to start the tx and was very upset for having to abandon the cycle (yes, I did cry in his office! ), but he said if the cyst is present, it can sometimes increase in size, or worse, can burst due to stimulation, and he wanted to eliminate the danger.  They can perform the hysteroscopy there if you are keen to get on with your tx, but Dr Ranieri thought it was not good value for money.  In the end, I only had to wait a few weeks, as there was a cancellation at EGA, and Mr Ozturk did the procedure (he also did Laproscopy back in March), and he's very sweet.

Sorry if above isn't relevant to your situation or doesn't help you much... 
Puglet x


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

Hello everyone

I have been lurking on this site and decided I wasnt going to post until I saw the thread on ACU @ UCH where myself and my husband are.  I have been with them for just under a year following recurrent miscarriages (6 to date but two of them very very early so I don't really think of them as miscarriages as it's easier that way).

Anyway, I started my first round of IVF/PGS on Valentines Day (hopefully a sign seeing as my husband and I got engaged that day (mind playing silly tricks on me ...I know I know!!!!).

Would really like to hear of anyones experiences at ACU.  So far I have been happy, I am with Dr Serhal who is fits the sterotype of crazy professor, but I like him and I have come to trust his opinion even though it sometimes isnt what I want to hear....Nicole one of the receptionists is really nice as are the nurses.  I have found it an OK experience but its early days yet, my OSH test came back perfect and I had 8 follies on one side and 9 on the other so that have said they have to be careful of over stimulating (all these things that can go wrong, it makes me wonder if I will get to transfer stage, especially since I have to wait till my eggs get to blastocyst stage (anyone have any thoughts on letting eggs get to this stage??)

Bit scary starting IVF seeing as I have been told its only a 20% success rate (even though I have no problem falling pregnant) but he thinks the problem is my egg quallity so that is why I am having PGS plus IVF.  We have been trying for two years now which isnt long when I see what other poor couples are going through, some up to ten years but it still feels like a lifetime.  I have simply lost count of the amount of people around me pregnant or with babies (I am 29 so understandable really, its that time of life)

Anyway, rambling now.....good luck with all your journeys and fingers crossed the ACU will be lucky for all of us.


----------



## wadadlis (Dec 10, 2004)

Hi everyone.  Just wanted a good old fashioned moan as I went for my 7 day scan yesterday and they could only see 2 halfway decent follicles despite my menopur dose being 6 vials a day and no sniffing since last Friday!  What is going on  When I did IUI I was on 1 vial a day and produced at least 2 follicles within a week with no problems at all.
Thoroughly cheesed off with the whole thing, never expected this to happen.  Have another scan tomorrow.  They may convert to IUI for this cycle but we have done that 3 times and I know it doesn't work.
AAAAAGGGGHHHH!
Sorry.


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi all  

First up, fingers crossed for your Lucie. At 29 you are still a babe and statistically have got a very good chance of success. Go for it and good luck!  

Wadadlis: sorry about your disappointment with the IVF and Menopur. It's funny how we can respond differently to the same drug on different cycles and during different treatment. On my IVF I had a very respectable response to Menogon (sister drug of Menopur, but jabs in bot  ), but when I had Menopur for my IUI I was on up to 4 vials every other day and could only manage one solitary follie.   Bizarre. I don't even think they know why women react so differently from cycle to cycle -- sorry ....  
Wishing you both well.

Love

Jaffa
xx


----------



## Puglet (Jul 6, 2005)

Hello ladies

My  is finally up, and did my dreaded HPT this morning.  

Unfortunately, it was   for me, but I've made my follow up consultation appointment with Dr Ranieri straightaway.  I've commiserated it with my trusted Krispy Kreme - OMG, I should think about losing the weight I put on during TX and 2WW for eating for three!!!  Strange, the 2WW seemed to last forever and couldn't wait to do the HPT early (  was out on patrol), but when I came to doing the test on the day, I really didn't want to do it and find out...

I just wanted to say, wishing you all the very best to all the ladies at UCH.

Sending you lots of  

Puglet x


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hi puglet,

Just read your last post and i am really sorry that you had a BFN! It is the worst feeling ever and i hope the Krispy Kreme are helping, the are SO delicious.  !!

Take care and let me know how it goes with your follow up appointment. 

Love Meg
xxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hello all UCHers 

Just checking in to see how you are all doing. I've had a month off treatment because my fourth IUI failed and I was gutted ....  Anyway, had a follow-up yesterday and have now been offered the chance to do GIFT -- rather like IVF but they put the egg and sperm back into your tube. Mr S says that if, by any chance, this doesn't work out, then they can always do IVF as a back-up. After a month of despair, I am very happy (believe it or not) to be back on the horse and heading for treatment. Roll on AF so me and DH can get started!

Hope you are all well and that there has been some good news lately.

Love

Jaffa


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi jaffa

sorry to hear the fourth attempt didnt work, fingers crossed for the next stage.  I was at the ACU yesterday too!  Had my bloods done to see how well i was reacting to menopur after three days and my estrogen levels were low (only 71) and they said they like to see them around 200-300 which basically means i am not responding to the drugs (great...)  they have upped my dose to five ampuls and I am back in there tomorrow to see if its any better.  feel really down today. the all elusive baby seems to be further and further away!!!

still onwards and upwards as they say X


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

hi,

I'm due to start my first IVF at UCH next week....I was wondering if anyone had gone elsewhere to buy the drugs that they needed? Our GP was really unhelpful and I had to resort to phoning my PCT myself who told me that they couldn't help with the drugs as their contract was with Barts.

As I've only recently moved to Brighton and put off starting the IVF for a year I don't really want to delay the treatment any longer so would be interested if anyone had bought their drugs elsewhere? I've had a look on the cheap drugs post and I couldn't see anyone from UCH having posted on there.

Thanks!!

Loubie xx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi loubie

i am afraid i havent got drugs elsewhere, seeing as its my first IVF I thought it best just to go with the ACU first time round and see how I get on.  I know they dont mind you buying them elsewhere though, just make sure you get them in advance.

Good luck, they are all really nice at the ACU


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

thanks lucie, whereabouts are you in the cycle and are you finding it all ok? I'm really nervous, Don't really know what to expect and keep re-reading all the info they gave me to try and get an idea!!

Lots of luck and hugs x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Lucie and Loubie

Lucie: sorry to hear that you have not been responding too well to the drugs. I myself had this happen on my last round of superovulation + IUI (with menopur). Mr S was most bewildered: said it was like 'injecting water'.   There are two things you should keep in mind, though:

1) your response can change from cycle to cyle (I had around 12 follies on my first IVF cycle, then 1 on my IUI cycle!  )
2) It is still really early days, and there is heaps of time for them to push your drugs up and get you producing some lovely follies. It will happen, you'll see .... remember that IVF cycle no. 1 has to be seen as a 'dry run', as it's really hard for them to know how you'll respond until you get down to it.

Loubie: I bought my drugs from the chemist's in Peterborough ... I forget his name (West Town?), but he's one of the more popular options on the cheap drugs thread. Also got a very reasonable quote off a chap called Ali in Shadwell. I must say that you will make a considerable saving on UCH prices. The chemist's I used charged an additional fee for the courier plus insurance, though (£30?, I forget), and it all comes in a refrigerated pack. Only thing is, though, that they take Switch rather than credit card ... keeps the costs down, they say.

Anyway, good luck to you both! I look forward to hearing how you get on!

love

Jaffa
x


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

Jaffa - thanks for the advice, feel a bit better now and trying to sort myself out!!    Your message also spurred me on to save some pennies on the drugs, so far I am down to £16.40 per ampul so at the moment (i'm on five) I could save £23 per day - ringing acu to get them to fax a prescription so i can get down to my local chemist!!!

Loubie - i know how you feel about being nervous.  its not until today that I have felt a bit wobbly!!  the only piece of advice i am following is trying to take each day as it comes (today doesnt count of course, I am allowed a couple of off days!!)  I have tried to keep things lighthearted when at the clinic as well and just chill out as much as possible.  i am seeing Dr Serhal (aka crazy professor) and his words of wisdom were, be positive but realistic so thats what I am trying to do. 

I must admit, dealing with the acu does ease things, reading other posts (especially from people at the lister) it sounds as though clinics are super busy and take a while coming back to you but the acu have been great with me, i even rang the nurse at acu today just for some reassurance and they are happy to talk to you.

good luck and feel free to post seeing as we are around the same cycle times

now ....... does anyone have a clue how to put your history bits on the bottom of these emails??


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Lucie

Go to Profile at top of this page, then to:
Profile forum information, then
Edit profile

You can add and take away info as you like.


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Oh and Lucie, just be sure that the chemist's you use have the drugs in stock, as you don't want to interrupt your treatment.


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

thanks jaffa - i checked with them and it takes a day to order so the ACU are faxing my prescription this afternoon.  I have enough drugs to last me until Friday (sounds like I am an addict!!)


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Lucie

Your history makes interesting reading: did UCH do the NK tests? Am also very interested to see that you are having PGS,as it's been suggested once or twice in my case ('poor embryo quality', I'm told), though we haven't committed to it. I hear that UCH are one of the leading labs in that department, so you should be in good hands. And what's more you've got age on your side!   Good luck! Jaffa xx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi jaffa

ACU didnt do the NK cells, I went to see Dr ******* of the miscarriage clinic harley street before i was at acu.  i know steroids have worked for some people but to be honest i didnt feel right on them he said I was borderine so take the steroids as a precaution, i didnt fall pregnant for eight months on them, and the month i stopped i fell - when i got the positive test i started taking the steroids again but it wasnt too be.

because of my age and the fact i dont seem to have a problem falling pregnant the acu suggested pgs (this was after dr serhal sending us away for a few months to try naturally as he didnt want to push us down the route of pgs for obvious reasons (cost, stress etc) but the only reason he can think as to why i miscarry is the eggs and there being a problem.  he said i would be lucky to get one embryo to transfer so not to get my hopes up but there is still a chance.

I now also read (too bloody nosey for my own good i think) that a lack of protein is linked to miscarriage and also stress resulting in raised level of cortisols in pregancy thus indicating early miscarriage.

its all a bit tricky.

i know acu offer pgs for recurrent miscarriage but also for failed ivf attempts - its the last resort for some but also I suppose the most effective in terms of giving yourself a realistic chance of having a baby if you have had a lot of problems in the past, however it is expensive, we are self funding and its costing us between 7-8K  (the screening is 2K alone) however the acu is the best in the uk in terms of this procedure....

hope this helps


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Thanks, Lucie, that's really informative. Fingers crossed you will have more than one embryo to transfer, eh?   Mr S, as you have no doubt found, is a straight-talking guy. But I'm sure he just wants his patients to be prepared for every eventuality.

You mention protein and egg quality; yes, this is pretty well documented. Did you manage to get your hands on some Solgar Whey to Go powder (for natural whey protein)? It is very highly thought of on these boards; if you do a search at the top of the page and type in 'Whey to Go', you'll find oodles of information on it. Otherwise, there's info on protein intake in the Zita West book. If you don't have it, I can give you a summary of what she says.

HTH

Jaffa


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello acu ladies!

I had a scan today and unfortunately its not looking great but its not over yet.  I had two follies on my left ovary and six on my right all very small.  They have told me to stop doing the sniffy drugs (which i said to the nurse on monday night should I stop and she said no, but when i had the scan the older lady that does them seemed surprised when i said i was still sniffing).  Anyway, i am now on 6 menopur a day and i have to go back on monday for a scan.  they said for ivf/pgs they need a minimum of 6 good sized follies to go to ec so there is a chance i wont get that far.  the other option is iui and hope for the best.

had a big cry at the acu, and on the way home (shame) and when i got home, so all cried out now (although i could probably squeeze a few more tears out!!) and I am going to try and feel positive and wait and see.

i asked the nurse if they thought there was a chance and they said they had seen it happen.  seems that there is a lot of growing between now and monday - what do you think


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Lucie

Sorry to hear your news, and that you took it so bad . There really are no hard and fast rules regarding stimming; each patient is different and they very much have to 'play it by ear', so try not to read too much into what people say or don't say, or people's expressions ..... and of course this is only your first go ....     My understanding is that they start out by treating you conservatively, as they do not want to run the risk of over-stimulating you -- OHSS is life-threatening, after all.  Anyway, I hope you have cheered up a bit now.

I know from experience that there are hurdles every step of the way in this game. I myself had to have my drugs raised from 4 vials to 5 due to slow response. By the time I went to EC, I had 16 follies, so I was chuffed to bits! Then, I learned that they'd only got 7 eggs out of those follies! It's really a rollercoaster of emotions. I imagine it is the stress of getting to PGS that is upsetting you and putting you under so much strain; did they suggest that, if PGS doesn't happen, they'll just do a straightforward day-3 transfer and skip the PGS bit?

Poor you. But believe me those follies will grow over the weekend. When is your EC tentatively scheduled for?

Fingers crossed for you,

love

Jaffa
xxx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

Hi jaffa

you are very supportive - thank you!!

I do feel better and am going to make a nice dinner (seeing as vast amounts of red wine is not an option!!).  My ec is scheduled for 31.3 but they did say that may get pushed back a couple of days.  They didnt suggest a straightforward transfer, but i think if i get eggs, i may as well test them otherwise i will never know if my eggs are a problem or not.

only time will tell - roll on Monday!

Hope you are OK and your af has arrived so you can get on with the job in hand!

Take care

Lucie x


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

hi lucie,

sorry to hear about your scan..this whole process really is an emotional roller coaster....I've just booked in for my OST on Sunday (first time ever for anything like this) so feel jittery....on one hand feel excited but it's all so unknown and having read lots of the posts everyone has had such varied experience I have no idea what to expect....just going to take it one day at a time!

Hope everything goes ok for you, keep your chin up, let us know how you get on...

loubie xx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

I am starting my first cycle of ivf/gift at acu and begin sniffing tomorrow, not looking forward to that! I'm worried about a few things and maybe someone could help put my mind at rest-ish!

Firstly, I go back for a scan on day three then start the injections that evening - what is that scan for/what are they looking for?

As I had a low response to the OST test I am really anxious to find out how I am responding. I will be on 5 amps of menopur and am worried that if I don't respond that well they can only put me up by 1 amp.

Is it the E2 test on day 4 of the injections that tells them how many follicles I have? (But can't understand how they can tell how many follicles I have from a blood test!)

Has anyone else had a poor response to the OST test? Ranieri suggested that maybe we do GIFT but said that we should decide closer to the time. But I'm worried that I'm not going to respond at all let alone choose IVF or GIFT!

Any advice would be very gratefully received!


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi meg

welcome to our little thread at the acu!

i am sure it will be fine, so try not to worry.  each cycle is different, just because your ost was a little low it doesnt mean you wont respond as each cycle is different, i had a great result with my ost but now i am not responding so its just down to each individual

your are in safe hands and the acu really look after you.  the blood test will show your oestrogen levels which will indicate what your ovaries are up to and if follies are growing but its not until the scan as to when you will know how many
good luck and let us know how you are getting on

lucie


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hi Lucie

Thanks for your reply. Just wondering - is it the scan on day 3 of your cycle that they see how many follies you have? (because I won't have started injecting by that stage). Or is it the scans further down the line when you've started injections.

Sometimes it's hard to keep track of all the things they're telling me!  

Best of luck with everything   

Meg
x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Morning all and hello Meg!

How is everyone today? I was going loopy this weekend: temper tantrums all over the place. Treatment is such a stressful business. I have been like a crazy hag the last two days   Saw 2 single magpies and now think the whole project is doomed! How stupid am I? 

Lucie: good luck for today. Hope your follies have had a little spurt  

Loubie: how did your OST go?

Meg: good luck with sniffing. I've had a round of IVF and am now up for GIFT. Start Primolut in around 10 days' time. I found sniffing not to be as bad as I thought, though I felt a bit spaced out sometimes. The day 3 scan will probably be to check your womb lining, to check for any sneaky cysts and take a preliminary peek at your follicles, even though you won't have started stimming yet. Just a procedural check, I suppose, and really nothing to worry about. It is also through scans that they will monitor your follicles, how many you have growing and what size they are.

Lucie's right: I too had a good response to the OST and have had varied results from stimming. And even if they do have to raise you an ampoule, that's no problem either. They did that with me. You will find as you proceed that you really do have to take this process one agonising day at a time  

Good luck anyway! And don't be too nervous ... you're in good hands at the clinic and this is a great place for info and support.

Lots of love,

Jaffa
xx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hi Jaffa

Thanks so much for your reply. It is so reassuring that i am not the only one who has temper tantrums!!  .  . I hope yopu are feeling abit better today.

Both you and lucie are right, i just need to take one day at a time, but i am always trying to get over the next hurdle and find out whats going to happen before i have conquered what i am doing right now!

I do feel confident that i am at the right clinic so let's all hope we have some good news soon....  

Catch up soon 

Love Meg
x


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

i just wrote a really long reply to you all and now its disappeared 

anyway, hope you are all well, good news from me at the clinic this morning, i now have 12 follies on the right side (was six and all small) and i still have two now big follies on the left so 14 in total and much better than what i was expecting so i am really pleased, back on wednesday for another scan and then a hsg (?) injection and then god willing ec on friday - then its the wait i have been dreading (more than the 2ww) which is to see if the eggs grow and if the tests come back from the pgs ok - we will see but overall a good day today

jaffa - sorry you had a tricky weekend, we had the same - however dont do a 'Lucie' and make up stuff about it al going wrong because you saw magpie - they are ugly birds anyway and it doesnt mean anything.  chin up you are doing really well.  did you see the family man on bbc - it was all about pgs -weird coincidence

meg - glad to see you are in higher spirits, the time will go quickly and before you know it you will have lots of follies growing nicely

Loubie - any news, hope it went well

OK - I am off to bed for a couple of hours as feel drained from all the pallarva this morning, of course I will be taking my cats cheese and pickle and some trusty haribo sweets - nice!

take care everyone x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hiya Meg, Lucie, Loubie and others

Well, I've continued to be a bit up and down today, but I think I'm getting over my wierdness. This will be the second time down the IVF (GIFT, this time) route for me, but I confess I'm so scared .... especially as I 'failed' (as I see it) last time. I've been quite outrageously awful, to be honest -- it's as though I'm pushing DH away. V. silly. And the  magpie sightings continue apace -- which is hardly surprising, as there's a nest at the end of my street! I've seen 7 of the little blighters so far -- which is '7 for a secret never to be told', if I remember well.

Lucie: 14 follies!!!!!! That is a seriously stunning result! I know I shouldn't crow, but I told you so!    Well done! By the way, my cat's name is Chutney, so he'd probably get on well with your Cheese and Pickle. It's fab to have a pet when you're having tx. I didn't have Chutney when I did IVF last time; wish I had done as it's lovely having him to chat to and cuddle.

I don't start my meds for over a week, but I'll be checking in to see how you're all getting on.

love

Jaffa
x


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hello Ladies!

Just wanted to say I am nearly at the end of my first day of sniffs and I am still in one piece (so is my DH!). No side effects so far so I'm now panicking that I'm not even doing that right!

Jaffa, i can relate completely to how you are feeling.This whole journey is such a huge rollercoaster and feeling like a failiure, along with everything else is perfectly normal I'm sure - in fact I nearly lost it trying to bake a quiche tonight, clearly DH's fault. 

Lucie, congratulations on your follies.  That's a great result and is spurring me along!

Keeping my fingers crossed for everybody.
Love Meg
x


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello

just stuffed my face with fajitas and more haribo sweets, i can't help it today, i need to wire my jaw or something.

anyway - jaffa - your message made me laugh about Chutney, it is nice to have pets, somehow makes it seem easier.  Hopefully you wil feel better tomorrow.  Thursday last week was my down day and then it passes and you feel better again.  Its so up and down but remember, since I have been on this site you have been a very positive influence so chin up and look to the future - it will be OK in the end.

Thanks for your message also about my follies, and yes you can say I told you so  

Meg - glad to hear your sniffing went well - I thought I wasnt doing right either on the first day, but you cant go wrong and in a couple of days you will be whipping out your sniffer spray like an old pro - i started off by going somewhere discreet when I was out then after a few days I was doing it on the train, in restaurants - I had no shame!!!


OK, speak soon ladies xxxxx

ps - out of interest are you all local to the acu - we are in teddington (near Richmond)


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Morning Everyone! 

We are based in north london so are quite lucky to be close to the clinic. Going out today as we are on holiday, so i will proudly sniif wherever i am!!!

I am also eating like a horse, looking forward to not fitting into my jeans very soon..... then i really will have something to cry about!

Hope everyone is feeling o.k today 

Love Meg
x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Morning ACUers! 

Just a quick line to say that I hope you're all well. My demons appear to have disappeared today (thank goodness!), so things are peaceful for now. Strange how these blankets of gloom can take over.  Suprefact arrived in the post this morning, and still 8 more days until I even start the Primolut, so I'd better keep myself busy. Stayed up until the wee small hours doing an on-line Tesco order. I'm putting my husband on the Zita West sperm diet (as I call it), so much of the order was things like pumpkin seeds, organic chickpeas and lentils. Oh, yummy!  What worries me is that my DH will end up being even more flatulent than he already is. Aren't I suffering enough

Meg: no doubt you are now flourishing your sniffing spray in the most improbable and inappropriate of places (on the tube - at the supermarket checkout - at the fish and chip shop). And why not?! I remember once having to whip mine out in front of a colleague -- she looked slightly perplexed, but I told her it was for hay fever!  

Lucie: I live in Cambridge. When I started at UCH I lived in Docklands, but have since moved house. It's a serious drag schlepping 55 miles to the clinic, but I was reluctant to change units and have to start all over again, though there's a very good clinic (Bourn Hall) just down the road.

Anyway, back to work! It'll keep my mind off things, I reckon.

Cheers!

Jaffa
xx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

Hi everyone,

Glad to see that I'm not the only one who gets cranky!!

I had some bad news on Sunday . Traipsed all the way to UCH from Brighton where I live (chose UCH as I work in Camden, trust me to have my day 3 fall on the weekend!!) Saw Mr Serhal and he did the ultrasound...basically I have to have my left tube removed before I can start the IVF as it's dilated and has adhesions...so - after getting all worked up about starting the treatment it's another set back....I'm so lucky that I have healthcare through work as to have it done privately would cost a fortune and it needs to be done as keyhole surgery to lessen the risk of scarring...so, after that news went shopping in Selfridges and stuffed chocolate down my neck all weekend!! I feel ok today but a bit wobbly, like I could go off at any moment but being very stiff upper lipped about the whole thing!

Still never mind, Mr Serhal says that the treatment can carry on as before after the tube is removed and I have an appointment to see the other consultant on the 20th April (he's on holiday for 2 weeks before that) so will probably be lurking quietly for a bit but checking back to see how you're all getting on....

Lots of luck and love to you all

loubie xxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Oh, dear Loubie  , so sorry to hear that sad news. You must have been so shocked ... I hope you were handled gently ... poor thing . As someone who suffers from adhesions myself, I suppose they are what caused the tubal damage    Might not be much of a consolation, but it's a blooming good job he spotted it, as they can fill with nasty fluid and be quite dangerous. What's more, if you have IVF, the toxic fluid can seep out and harm/poison your embies. It's a rotten prospect to have to have the surgery, but if it's keyhole then I hope it won't be worse than a lap. I do feel bad for you.

You're sounding amazingly resilient ... way I've been lately I think I would have totally lost the plot. But if you do feel like having a blurt then do it on here! Don't lurk in silence ... we can help each other out  

Hope you got some nice stuff in Selfridges. If I could only spend on clothes or the house what we've spent so far on treatment .... we moved in 8 months ago and haven't done a thing: still got salmon pink living room walls, a sludge green kitchen and a stained old 80s carpet. And what I wouldn't do for a new bathroom suite, not to mention a car, or holiday .... moan, moan.

Keep chatting to us Loubie; our little thread is getting off the ground nicely! If I bribe you with some bubbles will you stay?

love

Jaffa
xx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

evening everyone

loubie - how annoying and frustrating for you, i'm sorry it has put you back a bit.  i dont know much about adhesions (sorry) but from what jaffa said it seems as though its been a lucky escape as it needs addressing now and then you can crack on with the ivf soon.  i can imagine you are ****** off but you also seem well and upbeat so all credit to you brave lady!!  Hoope you stick around, even if its just for a moan when you feel like it x

Things are ok with me, off to the clinic again tomorrow for another scan, hopefully they are still growing at the same rate which will be good and then ec on friday.

had a bit of good news today.  i left my job back in november as my boss was harrasing me, and also discriminating against me regarding time off for my miscarriages.  basically after his behaviour i told him to stick his job, i then took him to court and today they settled out of court with money today.  i am so pleased, the money is good, but its the revenge and some justice that i wasnt in the wrong and that they behaved really unprofessionally.

since leaving i am now doing freelance marketing and look back and think there is no way i would of been able to go through ivf and still work where i was - things do happen for a reason as they say!

just watched the end of eastenders and phil's face is so red - its just not normal!!!

speak soon ladies x


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Just want to say hi to everyone at UCH , i'm new to this website, so it's good to hear from other people at UCH. I had to laugh when I read the various comments about Mr Serhal and the other guy, I didn't want to go back after my first meeting with him.
I've just had the dummy run and hycosy today, to be told that i now have to have a hysteroscopy on thursday as they think I might have a fibroid  . I'm supposed to be starting Primolut on tuesday.

Anyway just wanted to say hi and wish everybody lots of luck.


Angel wings


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Morning Jaffa, Lucie, Loubie and welcome angel wings and everyone else!

Just wanted to see how everyone is today.  

Day 3 of sniffing today and i feel abit like i have got a bad hangover, but unfortunately haven't been near a drop for a couple of weeks now. Anyway at least I know that the spray is actually going up my nose!

Loubie - So sorry to hear about your news.  Stay positive - you're at a great clinic and you found this out before you started, which you might not have done somewhere else. I hope you are feeling abit better today - stay with us! 

Lucie - good news with you! It sounds like you have had a rough ride with your job situation. Well done for sorting all that out as well as coping with everything else! Let us know how the scan goes today. 

Jaffa - Hope the demons have disappeared and you are getting your menu sorted for your dh. We'd swear by brazil nuts! What a long way you have to travel. I now feel quite spoilt that I live in muswell hill and it's not that far away.

Angel Wings - Everybody at the clinic grows on you, including Mr Serhal! Good luck on Thursday. You're deffo in safe hands there.

Love Meg
x


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

aaah you girls, thank you!! I do feel ok about it, I think...it's weird - it all seems so unreal to me anyway having this done that it just seems another chapter in the whole experience!! Mr Serhal was really nice - he mentioned about the fluid not being sterile and possible leaking into the womb (or wome as he calls it - like inspector clouseau!!)


Lucie -  how brave are you taking your boss to court...but good for you. God, some people are unreal aren't they? I'm so lucky my boss is understanding, and as I work with about 7 other women (most have kids) they're good support, I've told them all what I'm having done and it definitely helps having people to talk to - I'd go mad if I had to keep it to myself! Although I know they glaze over slightly when I start waffling on about all the procedures...

Angel wings, sorry to hear you have to have a hysteroscopy, is it something you can get done quite quickly and then get back on track with the ivf? will think of you.

Jaffa- I know what you mean about the money sode of ivf, we moved in September and I try not to think about what we could use the money for! I just don't think about it, epecially as our bathroom is so vile - we had to rip the carpet up when we moved in as the 2 young boys that lived in the house before us must have spent every trip to the toilet missing it and peeing on the carpet, absolutely VILE!!!



loubie xxx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

thanks meg, that's what I was thinking, when I had my laparoscopy and hysteroscopy done I was told that I would probably have to have a hysterectomy at 40 because of the pain the adhesions would cause...but the same consultant who carried out those procedures didn't mention anything about having them removed before ivf treatment....and that was the hospital we were originally going to through with the ivf at...so would they have carried out the treatment without removing the tubes? And it wouldn't have worked....makes you think doesn't it.....still that's not worth worrying about now! 

xx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Loubie,

Having the hysteroscopy tomorrow morning bright & early, got to be there at 6.15a.m. Lucky to get in that quick as the consultant Mr Serhal wants me to see is off on his hols on fri for afew weeks, hopefully its a polyp and not a fibroid if anything as i really want to start the tabs next week. I wonder if Serhal referred you to the same consultant Mr Saridogan, I had to put on the whole sob story to get in so quick. 

Chin up everyone


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hi angel wings

Just wanted to say good luck for tomorrow. I got treated for endo by Mr Saridogan and he is fantastic. He's really calm and explains everything, I'd recommend anyone going to see him.



Love Meg
x


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi ladies

hope you are all well.

angel wings - good luck tomorrow, I had a hysteroscopy by mr serhal and he was great.  i am sure it will go fine.

good news from the clinic this morning, still responding well and even managed to make a few extra follies so have 18 in total.  very surprised so i had my hcg injection this evening and am in for ec on friday morning.  will let you all know how i get on.

Jaffa  - hope you are OK

Loubie - nice to see you are still with us - its a real gem if you have a boss that is understanding, makes the process so much easier x

Take care everyone !!


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Thanks Girlies, for your support. Just a quick question where is everyone buying their drugs from, I've already got the primolut tablets and nasal spray from UCH but just thinking ahead when I have to buy the stimmers, I dread these bills coming in, I haven't even told hubby that they have put their prices up from April.

Angel wings


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Good evening UCH-ers!

Gosh, it's been pretty busy on here. I've had a busy day, with lots of admin and a paper to write ... what a pain in the  

First up: many welcomes to Angel Wings!     Hope you get the chance to read this before your hysteroscopy tomorrow. Really sorry to hear you have to have that, and hope that whatever is troubling you is sorted out pronto! It's a bummer when obstacles appear out of nowhere, especially when you're raring to go. It's great that you'll get to be treated so quickly, though ... GOOD LUCK  

Lucie: 18 follies!!! Now that's just plain greedy!!! No, seriously, just joking my dear ... that's bloody amazing news. I suppose you are just a 'slow burner' in the follicle department. And EC is now just 2 days away. RESULT!   I'll be checking the board closely to see  how you get on. And lastly, top news about your old boss .... what a prat. I must say, I loathe the people I work with and haven't confided in a soul about my treatment, which has been very hard. But I just don't trust them or even like them, horrible people.  

Loubie:  Thank god your matter will be dealt with before that threatened hysterectomy ....  .... unbelievable. Your bathroom can't be as nasty as ours, though: fungus everywhere and a leaking bath tub ... 

Meg: keep on at your sniffing girl, you're doing just fine.  You'll be glad to hear that my online shopping order arrived today; the house is now full of pumpkin seeds, figs and prunes! I have even been making my own organic muesli!!!!   We had fish and brown rice and spinch for dinner, all in accordance with the rules of the sperm diet.

Anyway, checking out now, ladies. Good night all!

Jaffa
xx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Angel Wings!   I thought you'd be in bed ... what with your early start tomorrow morning!

Is it true the prices are going to go up   Oh, dear! I must say that I was tidying up my old IVF material yesterday, and I noticed that they hadn't put the prices up since 2004, so it was probably on the cards ...  I got my prescription through the post today, and noticed that I'll be on 5 ampoules of Menopur a day during stimming. It's likely that I'll go back to West Town pharmacy in Peterborough (think that's the name). They were reasonable last time and i'd use them again. I reckon my drugs are going to cost around £1,000, all in all. They were cheaper last time as they had me on Menogon, which you administer in the   with a needle the size of a rolling pin ..... ouch .... painful, but cheaper than Menogon. This is a costly business. Shop around, Angel Wings! And good luck for tomorrow.


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

Morning

some ladies were up late last night!! I can't seem to stay awake past ten oclock. i think its the menopur (although my husband says i am a lazy fart!)

I am working from home today and must turn the telly off, its too much of a distraction.  I went to tescos early this morning and i have ended up coming out with finest bacon - i am planning on having a sarnie fest today (salad tonight though!! 

jaffa - thanks for your message.  You are putting me to shame with the whole healthy eating thing - are you doing it for you husband specifically or just being very very good.  Do you think I should be eating anything specific or is it too late now?  Well done you though....i find it quite hard with being good with food, i am not over weight or anything but I dont eat enough fruit and stuff.  pleased with the follie result but i am not getting my hopes up yet, we will see after ec how it goes, i have had too many disappointments in the last two years to get al excited so i try to keep it in check - hope that doesnt sound negative !!  As soon as I come round from the sedation and back home I will be straight on to tell you all x

Angel wings - when you read this you will be back so I hope you are feeling ok and things went well    regarding the drugs i shopped around and ended up getting them from my local chemist, because i was on six ampuls per day i ended saving around £25 per day as they are £21 from the acu which is expensive.  its worth the effort - try and get an idea of how many you will be on in advance and then place the order with the chemist.

Meg - hope the sniffing is going well - when is your next appointment.

Loubie - hope you are dandy.  lucky you have an understanding boss, makes all the difference x

right must get back to......sorry...start some work today!

Lucie xx

(I know I should not admit this but I am looking forward to footballers wives - I cant help it, i just love the crapness of it all!!!)


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Morning All,

Hope you're all feeling good, including Angel Wings (trust you were up bright and early today!) 

Feeling very virtuous and DH and I munched our way through my home-made muesli this morning ... took about 40 minutes to chew the stuff ... groan. And now you mention bacon sarnies, Lucie ... don't do that to me! I'm doing the diet for us both but predominantly DH. As I'm having GIFT, I want his swimmers to be top-notch, as there's no chance for to sit around in vitro or be injected (ICSI). They are on the low and slow side, though Mr S cheerfully told him that they were enough to repopulate Alaska. I suppose slightly lazy swimmers hardly compare with my blockages, scar tissue, cysts, and so on 

I adore footballers' wives, and I've heard Joan Collins is on it these days, but I've put tonight aside to watch that BBC IVF drama. I have a tendency to over-analyse, and I'm certainly not watching it for light entertainment, but I confess I have some problems with the way the storylines are presented ... if you haven't been watching it then I won't blather on about it here, but I have made my opinions known on this thread:

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,37737.0.html

Laters!

Jaffa
x


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Evenin' All!

I just can't keep up. I thought i was logging on late last night but it seems early after reading all the messages! I hope everybody has had a fine day and are looking forward to the weekend.  

All this talk of pumpkin seeds and fish is making me feel guilty. I keep wading through all the Easter chocolates I got from my class. Yes I am a teacher and work with cute children (actually not all of them are cute!) all day and have to put up with plenty of mothers pregnant with their second...or third! Of all the careers i could have chosen........

Anyway Lucie -  Look at all your lovely follies!!  GOOD LUCK TOMORROW!!! 

Jaffa - Footie Wives is the best trash on TV (along with The Apprentice - thank God Jo finally went!) I saw Michelle Collins on Davina and she said that it didn't put the whole IVF thing in a particularly positive light, so although I wanted to watch it I thought I'd better give it a miss! Let me know how it is.

Angel Wings - Hope everything went OK today, before you know it you'll be back on track. Fantastic result getting it done so quickly. 

Loubie - hope everything's going well with you today  

It's back at the clinic for me early next week for day 3 scan and a lesson with my DH on injections, aaaahhhh  . It's the E2 test on day 7 that I'm dreading most, oh well, nothing I can do about it now but try to stay positive.  If only I could have a glass of vino!  

Love Meg
x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hiya Meg

Just watched that IVF drama again, and frankly it was ridiculous: maverick consultant defies law on sex selection and faces wrath of pro-life lobby; egg donor shags partner of egg recipient; patient dumps partner cos he founds out she's adopted; IVF triplets brave death in intensive care; bricks chucked through windows of PGS couple and then the clinic gets blown up! Just hope this gormless show doesn't give any real-life nutters out there ideas!  

I fear the sperm diet is slipping ... had a crafty glass of red wine tonight ... I needed it to help my vitamins go down 

Jaff


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Oh yeah, and Lucie

GOOD LUCK FOR TOMORROW

Jaff xx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Girlies,

Hope everyone is ok, the hysteroscopy went well, turned out to be a fibriod which they removed. Meg you were right Mr Saridogan is a lovely guy, really nice. So no Primolut for me next week, I worked out it is roughly going to be about 6 wks before I can start now  . Oh well there's nothing I can do, it's just so annoying.

Jaffa if I put my other half on this sperm diet, I think he would divorce me, he gets suspicious each time I come home with varios pills for him. Do you know acupuncture is supposed to help poor sperm.
UCh haven't put everything up but IVF, ICSI and egg freezing have and acouple of other things. I seriously need to win the lottery or something.

Meg How's sniffing going?

Lucy Fingers & legs crossed for today.

Angel wings


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Everyone

Hello Angel Wings -- glad to see that you sailed through the hysteroscopy. It's a shame that the fibroid has put back your starting date, but all being well, the 6 weeks will fly by. 

It seems I'm not the only one who's p*ssed off by that tacky BBC IVF drama: there's a thread of irate FF license payers growing as we speak:

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,53172.0.html

Jaff
xx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello ladies

hope you are all well and dandy..    

Well i wont keep you in suspense.  we managed to get 13 eggs!I woke up from the anestheic I know thats the wrong spelling  ) and the first question i asked was how many eggs.  when they told me i burst out crying for ages, i couldnt stop myself i was so happy.  the nurses were so sweet, especially this older lady who was making me laugh.  so as we speak hopefully my eggys will be fertisling and growing.  one more tick in the box and now I have to wait    doctor ozturk did my op as dr serhal is away - he was very sweet.  he said that the eggs came away realy easily so he thought that they were quite mature   

Meg - good luck at the three day scan - when is it?  I felt that things were really getting moving finally when i went to that scan.  and remember if the result isnt quite what you expect look at me, i thought it was all over and now i am waiting for a transfer.  however i am sure sure sure it will be what you want x

Jaffa - thanks for your message.  hope you are ok.  i didnt really think about how the ivf programme was going to be perceived but now you mention it it is really quite riddiculous isnt it!!!

Angel wings - really pleased the op went ok.  i hope your six weeks fly by, i am sure they will.  will you be able to start down regging before the six weeks is up?

still a bit woosy and went to bed this afternoon only after seriously stuffing my face with crisps dipped in taramosalata.  

take care you lovely ladies xxxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hiya

Just a quick line today hi to you all .... and to say a bit fat WELL DONE to Lucie. 13 eggs is a bloody marvellous result. Well done you! That's a seriously impressive figure, girl! Have you had any word from the Unit yet as to how your embies are getting on? Good luck      Dr Ozturk is a lovely chap, isn't he?

Anyway, got lots of social activities this weekend, so won't be able to linger. Bit of cooking and cleaning to do before we start entertaining tonight!

Have fun all.

love

Jaffa


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Lucy,

Just want to say thats fab news about your eggs, keep us posted.     
Keep us posted.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Angel wings


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi ladies

hope you are enjoying the sunshine

update on me - the embryologist called this morning to say 12 have fertilised and one didnt which is great news, better than we could of expected however what is strange is that three of them have been fertilised by two sperm.  this is called dispermy and apparently is linked to miscarriage so maybe I have the answer I have been looking for for the past two years.  she said it was rare to happen and even rarer that it has happended to three eggs.  apparently the eggs can still grow but most end up with chromosone abnormalities and growth problems so it all makes sense with my miscarriages. its like the egg has too much genetic information and cant cope so wants to grow but it doesnt happen properly, apparently its the fault of the egg not shutting down once one sperm has got in..... the nine others have fertilised perfectly and she is going to call us tomorrow morning with an update so fingers crossed.

thanks for your messages angel wings and jaffa and have fun entertaining.  we are looking after our niece who is currently snoring on my sofa!

take care xxxxx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hello Ladies!

Lucie- hooray   hooray    hooray  . Your news is great!!! What a fantastic result, well done !! x

I hope everyone else is having a good weekend. I am waiting for my day 1 (which is any day now) so I am feeling a bit  . I have told my dh to watch out!

Take care

love Meg
x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hiya Lucie and Meg and Everyone Else

Wonderful news, Lucie. It just keeps getting better and better and is very inspiring -- certainly for me, with just 3 days to go now until I start the meds. Terrific fertilisation rate by the way, and the info they gave you is amazing -- how great that they can read so much information from your embryos. Really does sound as though this dispermy business might be behind your miscarriages. Do they think you will still need to do PGS, or are they proposing a 3-day transfer? Whatever the case, it is all looking really good for you and of course I wish you the very best of luck.

Meg --  how are you getting on, and how's the mood? These are trying times. I hope you've had a smashing weekend. After having chums over yesterday we went to a charity quiz night. Our team had more qualifications between us than you would believe, and yet we were totally crap. Came 11th. It was fun, though. Am still persisting with the sperm diet, though confess to feeling a little bloated. Do you think one can eat *too much* fibre   Anyway, the diet has been slipping pretty much from day 2 onwards, though we try to keep at it. My husband's best mate is French, and he is a trained patissier, so yesterday he came round with one of those amazing praline, coffee and chocolate cakes -- all homemade -- and of course we had to scoff it, so there you go  

Slightly strange niff in the house today. My cat is 7 months old and I'm worried he's started to spray       Looks like we need to make a trip to the local vet.

See you later, gals

Jaff
xx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi jaffa, meg and ladies

thanks for all your kind messages, it's nice to be able to relay good news which i am hoping will be the case for all of us  

the embryologist called today (not until 2pm) so i was really starting to freak out!!  The nine which fertilised perfectly are still growing well, i have six grade A's, two grade B's and one grade C.  The other three which have two swimmers in each are still growing so they are still going to send all 12 off tomorrow (providing they progress overnight) for the pgs screening and the tests take 48 hours so we wont know until wednesday morning if they are OK to transfer that afternoon.  so fingers crossed.  i cant imagine they would transfer the eggs with two sperms - i am a little confused but i am making my hubby take the phone calls as i am really nervous but i am not sure I am doing him any favours.  As soon as we get the call I am making mad lunatic sign language at him basically asking if its ok and then trying to put my ear to the phone once i get the thumbs up - he thinks i need help!

was any uncomfortable after ec?  i was ok initially but still have a fullness and my stomach looks about five months pregnant (cruel world!!!!) and its quite tender.  

Jaffa - i think we have got this far so we will continue to pgs - they havent suggested a three day transfer - do you think they should of  what meds and dosage are you starting on - can you remind me, it is ICSI you are having? well done on the diet - good for you however a little bit of what you like is good for you and you cannot turn down cake - its a basic rule of womanhood. indulge every now and then, you deserve it.

Meg - thanks for your little cheerleader ladies.  how is the sniffing going.  i was a hormonal witch on the bursulin!!!!

OK, signing off now.  Going to try and find a funky b&b maybe up near stratford upon avon or anywhere out of London to stay tomorrow night.  We thought it would be nice to get away (any ideas welcomed!)

take care lovely ladies

xx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Lucie

What a great crop of embies!   Again, fantastic results -- all is looking good! I just thought they might offer you a 3-day transfer having identified the dispermy thing ... suppose they need to run further tests, though, right? Just racking my brains for places we've taken little breaks to recently: we had a nice night at the Continental Hotel in Whitstable. It's on the sea front and there's very good seafood to be had there -- we did go in summer, though, so the weather was better than now. Also stayed in a funky hotel called Hotel Barcelona in Exeter recently. Exeter is a nice little city and is about 2 hours max out of London by train. Parts of Norfolk or Norwich might be nice for a quick break out of London. Haven't been to Stratford since I took my French pen-pal at the age of 14. I remember absolutely nothing about it! Good luck with your b+b hunting!

Jaff


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Evenin' Jaffa and all

Jaffa - Glad to hear you had a good weekend. You made the right choice eating the homemade cakes they sounded delicious, it would have been a crime not to!

Thanks to my sister I have had a day that all IVF/GIFT-ers should be treated to - a spa day. Not only is it good for resting and relaxing, it also had a very healthy lunch.   The lady who gave me a massage said that I had lots of knots in my shoulders and neck and was asking if I was under any stress at the moment?! Is it that obvious?  

By the way was curious what the Hotel Continental at Whistable was like, we spent the day in Whitstable a while ago and had some amazing fish and chips! We were also tempted to buy one of those gorgeous beach front houses.

Loubie - Hope you've had a great night away with lots of TLC. Where did you end up staying?

Well ladies, it's off to bed now. It's hard work being pampered!

Love Meg
x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hello Gang

Trust you have all had a great day  

Hiya Meg: love the sound of your spa day. What a great treat -- you deserve it. Me and DH have decided very belatedly that we want to grab a quick break away before stimming starts. Have been surfing the net just about all day in search of a holiday and we're not doing very well. As it's Easter, there's very little last-minute availability and of course the prices are rather high. We are pretty strapped for cash as it is, and then there's the prospect of the meds to buy and the treatment to pay for ...   We are both agreed that a week in the sun will be wonderful (especially as we didn't get away last summer as we were doing IVF!  ), but it's proving tricky. 

The Continental in Whitstable is pleasant. It's a 1920s/30s Art Deco place; was probably refurbished around 10 years ago so is not brand spanking new, but is good for a nice overnight stay. I remember we had a nice bathroom and that the breakfast was terrific -- huge, and lots of choice. I believe the hotel has a good restaurant of its own, but DH and I had dinner that night in the best fish restaurant in Whitstable. It was London prices but superb quality and as fresh as it comes. We also had oysters on the beach at lunchtime.

Strange news: I got an email today from my long-lost step-brother, who I haven't seen for 15 years. He did a Google search for me and found my work email. It was very emotional for me. I want so badly to write back but DH is worried: I had a very difficult relationship with my father (who I no longer see) and which still hurts after many years. He doesn't want me to get hurt again, and says I shouldn't respond until after the GIFT. He's concerned about the emotional effect it might have on me. I feel quite upset about this.

What do you think?

Jaffa


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

Hi ladies,

not logged on for a while (not intentionally - the pc has broken at home and I've started a new role at work so surfing is a bit more difficult - I have to be crafty!)

Lucie glad to hear everything is going swimmingly,well done you, hope you had a nice evening away! jaffa that must be a bit of a tough one about your step brother...it might be better to wait until the gift is done...especially if you're going to get stressed and upset about it all...what a nightmare - I feel for you...Meg the spa day sounds fab...I love the idea of that, whenever I've looked it always seems sooo expensive though...definitely worth it though I bet! Angel wings, glad the hysteroscopy went ok, bummer you've got to wait again but at least it's been sorted. I've got my appointment with Mr Saritogan on the 20th April...he's on holiday at the moment, so am just waiting for that - it's quite nice as it means I'm not thinking about the ivf until then, all of a sudden I've realised how much it's been on my mind...which is understandable really I suppose but I just didn't realise how much I was thinking about it!

Anyway think I'm getting stared at for being on the internet, better get my head down!

take care everyone,

loubie xxx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi everyone

hope you are all ok and it nice to see we are all still logging in

jaffa - what a predicament to be in.  i am adopted and i know its not the same but if someone contacted me i would be very confused as to what to do, however i have to agree with loubie - the timing is not great.  perhaps email back and say I got the email but you are not in a position to reply fully so you will be in touch soon?  Don't you start your meds soon?


Meg - glad you had a nice spa day - we ended up going to brighton (how original!!!) however we got a fantastic deal on lastminute we stayed at www.landsdowneplace.co.uk which was quite funky for just £79 (normal rate £140) so we were pleased, i also had a couple of spa treatments today at the hotel which were lovely (apart from when they rubbed a salt and oil scrub on my leg were I had just shaved and i thought my leg was going to catch fire it was burning so much)  had a lovely meal in a catalin restaurant and was back home by 9.30 as my tummy has been so bloated and a bit painful since egg collection.  today is the first day it has eased up

Loubie - good luck with the new role at work - i used to be so naughty surfing the net at work and then i worked out a way to clear all the history and the cookies so i could never be found out that i was on babyworld.co.uk for most of the morning!


anyway, update on me - embryos are still going ok - one has stopped but it was one of the weird ones (they now tell me only one of the three weird ones had two sperms so my idea that it might be the cause of my miscarriages is perhaps not so true).  they took the biopsy yesterday to check for chromosone abs and we find out when we get to the clinic tomorrow at 2pm for transfer if there are any to put back - lets hope our journey up there wont be in vain.  i imagine i will feel so nervous and sick with worry but i am hoping we have a chance.

will let you know how i get on.  i hope you dont mind me still being on the acu thread as I am aware i am ahead in terms of timings with my cycle.  hope i dont upset anyone x

take care ladies x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hello Gang

Hope you're all doing fine on this bright sunny day.

Loubie: great to see you back, and glad to hear that the IVF cloud has lifted a bit. Hope also that you'll still be able to check in on us from time to time, even if they do snoop on you at work!   Not long to go now until your meeting on the 20th. Stayed chilled until then.  

Lucie: good as ever to hear your very positive news. I hope you manage to read this before you head off to the clinic today. The Brighton break sounds great -- would you recommend the hotel, then? Me and DH have now decided to abandon the idea of finding a holiday next week. We must have been mad, trying to find something nice and affordable in Easter week. I was interested in the Canary Islands as I know they have good sun at this time of year, but I've never been before so didn't really know what to expect. I found one or two offers, but when I checked the on-line accommodation reviews they sounded like pretty grotty places, and the resorts sounded a bit grim: English pubs, sky sports, and all-day breakfasts, which isn't really what I'm looking for right now. I was also surprised to read lots of people say in their reviews that they'd been the victims of theft from their hotel rooms -- by other British tourists! Can you imagine that   How depressing! Anyway, me and DH have decided we'll go somewhere nice of our choice after the treatment, as either a celebration or commiseration get-away.

Have also decided to put the step-brother story on hold. Part of me feels sad because I was close to him and he never caused me any grief, but there's every chance my father might be behind the story somehow and I guess now is not the right time to confront that particular 'issue'.  

Had a fun day yesterday. After living here for many years, my Mexican friend became British! We had to go to one of those British Citizenship ceremonies. It was really hilarious: kind of like a civil wedding but with a flag and a picture of the Queen, and Cambridgeshire's High Sheriff wearing tights and velvet knickerbockers and carrying a sword. They had a little CD player with the National Anthem on it, and the CD player kept sticking and the organisers were in a bit of a flap. Afterwards, we were all invited for weak, milky tea -- welcome to Britain! 

Today I have to order my stimming drugs   and get the cat booked into the vet's. Those little furry knackers of his have got to go.  

Good luck for today Lucie, and of course you should still be on this thread! We want to see you through your 2-week wait, after all!    

love

Jaffa


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Morning Campers,

Glad to hear you're all  o.k.  

Lucie - Brighton is a great place to go and i'm glad you had a relaxing time. Getting away even for one night really does help. Good luck today!!! You must stay with us on our little thread, we have got to be with you on your    and there are probably loads of questions that you could help us with.!

Jaffa - I think you have made the right decision to focus on your treatment , although it must have been hard to know what was for the best. It is so important that you are as relaxed as possible and you could always follow it up at later date.

Loubie - Good luck with your new role and make sure you keep surfing!

I am however waiting desperately for my A/F. I have never been late in my life! Just want to get on with the next stage and get back to the clinic. Also i feel quite grumpy and   , never thought i would be looking forward to my A/F arriving!Oh well trying to keep busy and hoping it will get a move on. Just wondering whether the buserelin has anything to do with it. Has anyone else had this problem?

Take care and have a good day

love Meg
x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hiya Meg  

Great to hear from you. Just a wee line to say that it is definitely the Buserelin that is delaying your period. The exact same thing happened to me last year when I did my first IVF -- it took 4 days to arrive and I was climbing the walls, phoning to nag the nurses and so on   Don't worry, it will come and then it will be all systems go! You're just feeling grumpy because you're on a mission and you don't want anything to hold you back! It's actually quite exciting, isn't it?

Just been phoning for quotes for my drugs, and have made my decision (I think). Also booked my cat in for castration -- how sad   He'll be losing his furry bits tomorrow.

Jaff x


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

afternoon!!

Lucie, I love Brighton...in fact I loved it so much I moved there last September...it's such a great place to live...the only problem is the commuting to London!!How do you clear the history and cookies? Is it something easy? I'm so IT illiterate it's not funny!!! Jaffa I went to Lanzarote in January and last Christmas, we stayed in Playa Blanca which is really quiet and nice...just stay well away from Puerto del Carmen, chav central!! We stayed in a villa from this website http://www.holiday-rentals.com/ There's an amazing artist called Cesar Manrique who has built all these amazing houses and sculptures all over the island...so I would highly recommend going there!! Meg, sorry you're feeling grumpy, I've no experience with the drugs yet so don't know what effect they have! Angel wings, hope you're well

anyway girls, better get on with some work. Have a good day all

loubie xxx

This post contains an unconfirmed link/information and readers are reminded that FertilityFriends.co.UK or its owners are not responsible for the content of external internet sites


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Jaffa - thanks for your message it made me feel abit better. I decided to phone the nurses this afternoon and they also said it was the medication that was delaying my period   Just wish it would hurry up as I really want to move onto those nasty injections and find out as soon as possible how i am responding, moan...moan...moan! Sorry !!

I have been really lucky and my G.P gave us the drugs on the N.H.S. I know you have probably been down that route but it has saved us loads of money.

I hope everything goes o.k with your little    tomorrow. 

Lucie- Hope today went well, i am sending you lots of    

Off to watch Davina now and then the Apprentice, what an exciting life i lead!!

Love Meg
x


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Just wanted to pop in and say   to all you girlies.

Lucy, glad to hear everything is going well and look forward to hearing more good news.

Jaffa, how wierd after all these years to hear from your step brother but you need to concentrate on yourself at the moment. What drugs are you on and are you getting them from UCH?

Meg, I've really got to learn all this lingo, figured out most things, whats A/F and is down reg when you take the nasel spray.

Well, i've nothing to report, just counting down the weeks now until i can start.

It's my birthday tomorrow and I'm going to see BIlly Elliot so i can't wait to see that. I had to laugh,the other day i got this letter inviting me to an Osteoporosis screening, I thought bloody hell, I'm not that old.

Anyway must go. I'm starving.

Byeeeeeeeeeeee for now          
Angel wings


----------



## LibbyG (Mar 30, 2005)

Sorry to butt in on your thread. Pleased to see that there is a bit of a UCH posse going on now...I successfully conceived with ACU at UCH last year & am now waiting for my little miracle to arrive (I was due yesterday). 

Reason for post is that I have some drugs leftover from my ICSI cycle that I didn't know what to do with (beware over-prescriptions as ACU won't take them back). Having just moved house, I wonder if any of you ladies just starting out on your cycles are interested in taking them? They have been stored in a cool dry cupboard for the last few months: 

21 x 75IU of Gonal F (from Serono) - exp 07/06
20 x 75IU of Menopur (from Ferring) - exp 10/06

I paid c. £650 for the above drugs, but I'd be willing to give them a happy home (& a chance of a second pregnancy) if you would be happy to make a reasonable donation to a charity. PM me if you are interested & we can sort out the details. Not out to make any money, just dont want to see them go to waste...
Thanks, Libbs


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello lovely ladies

so sorry i havent posted for a little while, i had been confined to the bed upstairs which does not have a laptop connection and i have just been allowed downstairs by my husband!!!  thanks for all your messages ladies 

anyway - the good news is we had one embryo to transfer which went back on wednesday.  all the other embryos all had chromosone abnormalities which at first we were really shocked to hear.  however on reflection is makes sense given my history - apparently we were lucky to get one and some clients dont get any who are on PGS.  the transfer went quite smoothly however i was quite emotional - we saw our embryo on the screen which looked like a walnut!  had a bit of a tight tummy the last 24 hours and a few twinges which i am hoping are implantation signs but who knows.  my test date is 20th april (how do i stop myself going freakin' nuts until then?  any advice!!!) i am going to do my best not to read into every sign or supposed symptom but no doubt i will have my off days

Meg - hope the witch arrives soon so you can crack on - try to relax as i often think it delays it even more if you are stressed, but the bursulin certainly wont help either

angel wings - happy birthday!  i have seen billy elliot and enjoyed it, not the best thing i have seen but still good - what did you think?

jaffa - hope your cat is feeling ok - i had both mine done but Mr Cheese (the boy) still walks around our street like he has the biggest balls in teddington!  brighton was lovely (lucky you loubie living there) we stayed at www.landsdowneplace.co.uk and got a good deal of £79 on lastminute.com the normal rate was £140 and I dont think it was worth that as our room was a bit small and the  bathroom wasnt really fab or anything.  decor is kind of shabby chic boudoir which i love.

Loubie - we went to a new restaurant in brighton called pinxto people - catalin number and it was fab - the food was amazing.

anyway - hope you are all feeling ok.  i will do my best not freak out in the dreaded two week wait (no promises though aye!!!)

take care xx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hello All

Sorry for being quiet the last few days, but busy as usual. Thank god it's Saturday!  

Hope you're all feeling well.

Lucie -- your story is inspirational! Good on you for getting one good embie, let's hope this little one sticks and gets nice and comfy in there! I hope you are feeling well on your 2ww. Must have been quite shocking to have heard the news about the other embies -- very valuable information, though, it's quite amazing what you've learned from this PGS process and it certainly seems to answer some very important questions. I wish you luck for the next bit. 

Meg -- trust AF has arrived by now? She must have! I was most impressed to hear that you got your drugs on the NHS, we get diddly squat up here in South Cambridgeshire. It really is a postcode lottery, as they say.  

Angel Wings -- sorry for missing your birthday, many happy (belated) returns. I hope you enjoyed your show. I am thinking of getting tickets for Jerry Springer the Opera -- it is supposed to be tacky but good. You asked where I got my drugs from: I plumped for Ali's in Shadwell. They gave me the best price for my Menopur and all the other bits, and the chap I spoke to on the phone was very calm and nice. No doubt you are looking forward to starting things now.

Loubie -- I am following in Lucie's footsteps and booking a night in Brighton next Wednesday! I was very interested in Landsowne Place, but they've just bumped the prices up on lastminute, and as we are watching the pennies I have gone for a slightly cheaper option: a nice little guest house called Hudsons. It's got very good write-ups on Trip Advisor, is close to the railway station and offers a full slap-up breakfast. I am very interested to try the Catalan restaurant, too. Good to share tips, isn't it? My husband was laughing when he realised I was planning our night away around  recommendations from this website.  

Well all is well with the world here, except the cat is still a bit tender   He's being quite clingy, but I like that, he's a real mummy's boy. Only thing cheesing me off is that I now have my third pimple in around 5 days!!! I never get spots, so I don't know if it's the Primulot tablets or my detox diet (I think I read that all the crap comes out through your skin -- gorgeous!)

Laters!

Jaff xx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hello Hello

Just thought I'd write a quick note before I start preparing for dinner with friends.

AF has arrived in force! Went to the clinic yesterday (only just made it after the Northern Line collapsed  ) and thankfully there were no cysts. They wanted to check my oestrogen level before starting and after a long, tense wait until 7.20pm the nurse phoned to say the results were fine. Can't believe we've had some good news!  

Anyway first injection tonight as our dinner guests tuck-in in the next room! Let's just hope I don't get immediate side effects.

Back in to the clinic on Tuesday to see how the follies are doing and then its scans pretty much throughout Easter.

Lucie - Well done on your ET. You have a lovely follie that will hopefully work its magic   

Jaffa - Hope the little cat is feeling better and his furry bits are healing nicely  

Loubie - I hope everything's going well with the new job and that you're finding some time to do some sneaky surfing.

Angel Wings - Happy Belated Birthday  . Hope you enjoyed Billy Elliott I saw it a couple of months ago and loved it. Going to see the Lion King with my niece on Wednesday hope the animals don't scare her!

Anyway have a great weekend everyone

Love Meg
x


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

Hi ladies!

Hope you all had good weekends...the sun was shining in Brighton and it was lovely! On the train into work this morning, thick snow between Brighton and Croydon. very bizarre, I actually thought it was spring!!

Lucie, congratulations!!! you must be SO pleased...try and keep calm for the next two weeks (easier said than done I'm sure of it) I'll check out the restaurant....sounds lovely!

Meg, glad you had good news too, hope everything is going ok for you with the injections...

Jaffa, will keep my fingers crossed that the sun shines in Brighton for you on Wednesday...

Angel wings, happy belated birthday, hope you had a lovely time....

take care everyone.

lots of love loubie xx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Everyone,

Lucy, that's great news, hope these 2 weeks fly for you. I'm sending you some  

Jaffa, have a fab time in Brighton. I love Brighton and never get sick of going there, love going down the lanes for a wander.

Meg, god I remember the jabs from when i had my IUI's, i've decided this time round, i'm going to have them in my stomach where I have a spare roll or two, not looking forward to that bit again. When i had the jab from the OST it didn't seem that bad when i had it there rather in the tops of my legs.

Billy Elliot was fab, I think it has to be one of the best musicals i've been to in a long time, mind you I think i say that after everyone I've been too. They are holding auditions for Dirty Dancing and Sound of Music at the moment, I think Dirty d is coming out October time, so I will definently be seeing that.

Byeeeeeeeeee for now

Angel wings


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Morning Ladies

Just a quick one as i am not feeling that great today    I went for my E2 blood test on Tuesday and unfortunately my oestrogen levels were quite low (yesterday was day 6 and the result was 176, does anyone know how low this is? ) so they have moved me up to 6 amps of menopur. I knew from the start that my levels were not great but I hoped that being put on 5 amps would help. I have to wait until my scan on Friday to find out how many follies I have. I am trying to stay positive but keep thinking I am on the highest dose now and what if I don't respond enough to get to ec. Sorry to moan on everyone!

I hope you are all keeping your chins up!

Love Meg
x


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello everyone

hope you are well and dandy.  sorry for being quiet for a few days 

I am OK - going slightly mad with the waiting - symptoms so far are really vivid dreams for the last five nights, boobs a little sore (could this be the cyclogest?), tired, one big dizzy spell with stars in my eyes when i bent down - am I silly reading into these?  It is difficult to know if your body is playing tricks with you.

Meg - sorry to hear about your levels but remember my story.... on day five my levels were 71 which were very low and then I went on to get 13 eggs.  have they stopped you on the sniffy drugs?  As soon as I stopped on those and went up to six ampuls my follies grew rapidly.  try not to worry and remember a lot can happen in a short amount of time - fingers crossed you will be OK

Angel wings - glad you like billy elliot - i CANNOT WAIT until Dirty Dancing comes to the stage - I am getting a load of my girlfriends together to go - its going to be brilliant

Jaffa - How are you getting on?

Loubie - hope you are well lady!

Take care all of you xxxxxxx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hi Everyone!

Lucie - Thanks for your note , I felt much better after hearing out about your levels, and now you have a lovely follie hopefully getting nice and comfy inside! I am keeping eveything crossed for you  . As for me I am going back tomorrow for a scan to see what is going on and I am just hoping there are enough follies to keep going, this whole this is Sooooooooo stressful and exhausting. Not sure if it is the 6 amps or what but I constantly feel like i need a kip!

Jaffa -  I hope you had a relaxing time away. Let us know how you got on. I also hope the  is feeling better.

Angle Wings  - Glad you enjoyed Billy Elliot. I went to see the Lion King yesterday with my 4 year old niece and really enjoyed it, think she did too!

Loubie - I hope you are having a good week.

Hope you are all looking forward to a few days off work, let's hope we all get lots of chocolate  

Take care 

Love Meg
x


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

hi everyone,

Just wanted to wish you all a lovely Easter weekend, hope the Easter bunny visits with lots of goodies.

Take care and look after yourselves

loubie xxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Girls,

Hooray, I have 5 days off work now, all I have been doing today is clock watching. Did anyone watch the Apprentice last night, I cannot believe "wots his name" has not been fired yet, I was so sure he was going to get his marching orders last night. 

Meg, try not to worry too much, one of my best friends did not respond well and she was on 5 amps too, also at UCH, she now has a 3 wk old baby boy. I havent seen the Lion King but i did see Beauty & the Beast when that was out and that was really good.

Lucy, hang on in there not too long to go now.

Have a fab weekend everyone and here's to lots of choccy eggs.

love

Angel wings


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

something very weird happened to me yesterday - and I'm really confused.... when I posted my last message I typed "Hope the Easter Bunny brings you lots of goodies" Then when I'd posted the message it said sex mad ball of fluff - I think someone was having a bit of a joke and watching my screen at work...bit odd though! So I'm only going to  post when I'm at home....I think it was someone I work with who has access to everyones computers...that's the only thing I can think of anyway, I've been racking my brains how it could have happened!

Have a lovely weekend 

xx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

oh weird - it wasn't someone at work...please someone else type in the words [email protected] Bunnie (but use an a instead of a @ and y instead of ie) it's bizarre!!!!


----------



## saphy75 (Mar 15, 2004)

Loubie check this link out 

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,54532.0.html

also have any of you noticed what word comes up if you type b i t c h (without the spaces)

pam xx


----------



## AnonymousAgain (Jul 14, 2005)

Hi everyone. Can I join you? Have had two failed cycles previously both at the John Radcliffe in Oxford (1 chem preg, 1 neg). Have now moved to UCH, under Paul Serhal.

I wanted to ask you all about your experience to date with UCH. Reason being that yesterday I went for a dummy ET and HyCoSy. My appointment was 3pm, and at 4.10pm I was called through. I arrived at 2.45pm, with a full bladder of course, and just sat, and sat, and sat.......can you tell me if this is normal procedure at UCH? I'm really concerned now and am still quite upset - at the JR in Oxford I was kept waiting as well, so I know a degree of lateness is par for the course, but an hour and ten minutes? I was getting very distressed just sitting there. I was on my own as dp had to be at work, in a new place with a completely new protocol (am used to the long protocol), and with this being our third attempt I am already fragile enough as it is. When they finally came to fetch me they explained that they'd had a difficult dummy ET with the person prior, hence the delay, which I completely understand can happen. However, not once during my wait did anyone even speak to me to apologise or let me know what was going on. Finally I gave one of the receptionists a bit of a 'hard stare' and she must have realised I was distressed cos she then said she'd go and find out what was happening.

Now I'm really worried that this is normal and I have visions of being kept waiting even on EC day - they did this to me at the JR and I was completely stressed out. I would have thought that being private I wouldn't experience this to such an extent. Please tell me this is not usual practice cos I'm panicking like crazy....I left a message to speak to one of the nurses yesterday but when she called me back at 6pm unfortunately my mobile was out of range so she left me a voicemail. I haven't been able to contact anyone there yet with it being Easter, hence my posting.

I'm really sorry to rant. I'm usually a very strong person, but this whole thing is getting to me now and I feel very emotional at the moment.

On the plus side, when we saw Paul Serhal on Monday 10th we were both incredibly impressed. He was like a breath of fresh air in his attitude and manner. Hence our decision to go with UCH straight away. So hopefully I was just unlucky in my experience yesterday...............

Thanks for listening

Cleocat


----------



## Fishwonder (Apr 6, 2006)

Hi Cleocat,

I am sorry to hear about the stressful experiences you had at UCH. This is my first posting on this UCH thread as I am going through my first IVF there. I too am very interested in what others with more experience there will say as the "lateness" has been bugging me too.

I'll be honest with you, out of all the appointments that I've had at UCH over half have been late and some have been over 1 hour. I was put in last minute for a dummy embryo transfer so I expected to be waiting and I know what you mean about a painful bladder. I think things that have got to me the most are the return of phone calls. I've found that when I've called and left messages I've had to wait a good 3 or 4 hours for a response even when I've been told they will call right back. My ET was also 20 mins late as the doctor was running late!!

Having said all of that, I have found their judgement and professionalism with regards to my treatment to be excellent and faultless (so far). I have kind of accepted that in an imperfect world I would rather trust their judgement than jeapodise that for an "on time clinic". Obviously, the nerves and uncertainty that arises from the inpunctuality does stress me out a bit and I would love that to be resolved but I am trying to look at the bigger picture and trust that ultimately they are doing what needs to be done in my best interest to ultimately get pregnant (fingers crossed).

By the way, I am glad you posted as I thought it was just me who is the last one left waiting in the waiting room... and what a horrible waiting room it is !!


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

easter bunny


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi All! Brainless down-regging woman alert!     As you can see from my message above, I tried out what Loubie said, but posted without doing a preview first ...  

Well I'm back from Brighton and feeling great. We had such a smashing time. It was cold and windy but dry, and I must say that we enjoyed two of the best meals I've had in years, they were a real treat. One was at a place on the seafront called Due South, and the other was a vegetarian place called Terre a Terre. I'm not a vegetarian but the food was sumptuous and fantastically presented. We stayed at a little guest house run by a very camp proprietor, it was in the middle of the gay village which has loads of bars and cafes in the neighbourhood. What a cool place; last time I went to Brighton was in the early 90s and it didn't begin to resemble how it is now. What a fabulous couple of days.

Am sniffing for England now, feeling okay but very fuzzy-headed. Find it so hard to concentrate. But I'm cheerful.

Angel Wings: hope you're enjoying your time off work. Got any plans for the Easter weekend?

Loubie: how are you doing? Are you a choccy fan? Do you like the Green + Black's stuff? They've got some Belgian brand on special in Waitrose at the moment, I've been scoffing it like mad. (And yes, you've guessed, the sperm diet fell by the wayside yonks ago, though I've read that a few small squares of good quality choc each day are okay  )

Lucie: how are you doing on your 2ww? Good I hope. I remember mine -- the time crawls, and you over-analyse everything. I found myself waking up very early in the morning (around 6) and doing symptom searches on the internet   You should try and avoid that if you can!

Meg: hope your scan today has delivered more promising news. 6 amps sounds a lot, but look at Lucie. Hopefully your oestrogen levels will have risen nicely, and you'll see some good results on the follicle front.  

Fishwonder and Cleocat: WELCOME to the UCH thread.   Hope you are both doing well. Appointments over-running is sadly a fact of life, at UCH and I presume at other units. Medical matters are hard to manage: I remember when I went in for my laparoscopy they told my husband I'd be out in 20 minutes, but when they opened me up they saw I needed adhesiolysis and they did that on the spot. I came out 1 hour and 40 mins later. No doubt the woman behind me was cheesed off, but they had to act on the spot. Similarly, when I had my dummy transfer I held things up because I had a very tight cervix and the catheter wouldn't go in comfortably. I ended up having to have something called Dilapan to open my cervix up. I am also very tall, so nearly every time I had IUI they had to change the speculum 3 times in order to get the right length. I suppose what I am trying to say is that there are so many variables in any appointment, I know from my own experience that a 'text-book' response is generally the exception rather than the rule. I agree that it is frustrating and disheartening to have to wait a long time to be seen. I also know that Friday is the worst day for running overtime, and for booking appointments. I imagine with it having been Easter this week, there will have been lots of extra people in the clinic, which would probably have made matters worse all round. I have now reached the stage where I automatically factor in at least a half-hour's wait before I get seen. That way, I don't feel disappointed, and feel even better when things are on time! On my last visit, I was expecting a delay and got seen before my bottom even touched the chair!

As for returning calls, I believe they generally do these at the end of the working day, when all of their other stuff is done, so it is not uncommon to get calls back at 7pm or even later, depending on how busy they have been in the day. Hope all this helps to put your mind at ease.    In spite of everything, I do feel you're in good hands at UCH.

Anyway, gang, off to get a spot of lunch!

Happy Easter all,

love

Jaffa
xxx


----------



## AnonymousAgain (Jul 14, 2005)

Thanks for your responses folks. At least it's not just me. I think my main gripe is that I wasn't told what the problem was, and after an hour I thought they'd forgotten me! I just hope that on EC day they don't keep me waiting an hour as I'll be panicking that my eggs will all be released before they 'get round to me'! 

Anyhow, have a good Easter everyone.

Best wishes
Cleocat


----------



## Fishwonder (Apr 6, 2006)

Jaffa orange, thanks for your input. It's very reassuring !! Good luck with everything !!


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi  Cleocat & Fishwonder, just wanted to say hello to you both. When i went for my first blood test for the OST test, I was kept waiting ages but a friends husband had warned me it was like that, take a mag or two, it was also a friday too. I was luck when i went for my hycosy and dummy run as I went for the first appointment of the day, so it wasn't too bad, I have the bladder the size of a pea so there would have been no way I could hang on for hours on end.
Saying that UCH does have an excellent reputation and Mr Serhal does know his stuff.

Jaffa, glad you had a good time.

Meg, hope your scan went ok.

Hope the rest of you are ok too. Got to go and sort out my oputfit for tomorrow as me and hubby are off to a wedding.

Love

Angel wings


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Happy Easter Everyone!!

Welcome cleocat and fish wonder   It's great to have you on board.

Just a catch up from me. Not great news and I have to say that I dont think I have  so much in a long time. I went for my first scan on Friday and saw the older lady. I only had  2 good sized folllies and 2 tiny ones and she said that the likelihood would be that I would have iui and not ivf/gift.

That was bad enough but when I started asking questions about what I would do next cycle she just said that I was not suitable for ivf or gift due to my lack of response from this cycle and maybe I would just do iui or superovulation next. But she didn't really give us any information (or hope)  . We were completely gobsmacked. We waited in the waiting room and then saw a nurse who was just lovely and was really helpful because by this time I was really upset. She explained that sometimes different protocols make people respond better and maybe Mr Ranieri would put me on the short protocol next time which is something he does for some poor responders.

Just wondered if anyone has had any experience of a short protocol. How does it work? Also does anyone know exactly how long you have to wait between cycles. I asked the nurse and she said that you have to wait for two periods but does this mean two full cycles after this one finishes or does that include the one I am still on? 

I don't want to put our newcomers off acu as I do believe that I'm at the right clinic but this has just been a very hard weekend. We're seeing Dr Ozturk (?) tomorrow to see what has happened to the follies and we'll know a bit more then. We're hoping that we can get an appointment with Ranieri for Tuesday as we've got to have a plan for the next few months. It's the not knowing what the options are that makes it so difficult.

I hope everyone has had a great Easter break and Lucie I hope your two week wait is steaming by!

Thanks for reading this long message.
Looking forward to being more positive next time I sign on  .

Love Meg
x


----------



## Spanners (Apr 2, 2006)

Hi Cleocat and Fishwonder,
Have been nosing through the UCH thread and came across your posts. Have had one failed IVF at UCH earlier this year and am just about to start no 2.  My impressions of UCH have been generally pretty good - the staff, particularly the nurses are supportive and reassuring and will always in my experience call you back, although often they do this at the end of their days appts so I expect not to be called until evening (better for me anyway as calls at work are difficult).

My stim and EC went like a dream , had plenty of eggs fertilise and opted to continue to blastocyst - day 5. On the day of ET found that of the 2 blasts that were mature enough to transfer neither was good quality and was left feeling in limbo that chances of preg were poor with those that were ready but had no option to wait for those that were immature .  Coupled with dealing with that bad news / stress, the clinic on that day (unfortunately a Sunday) was chaotic with one doctor (Oz) running around doing everything and my own ET was over an hour late.

Sorry if this sounds a bit negative - having said that after weighing everything up have decided to go back as the experience was 95% positive and having seen Mr Serhal (asked loads of questions about Blastocyst tranfers) I'm hoping that we'll have a better outcome this time.

Good Luck with your own tx!

Spanners


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello everyone

nice to see some new faces on the acu thread.

Just to let you know I am 99% sure my cycle of IVF/PGS has failed.  I was feeling really confident it had worked as I had some real tell tale signs but on Thursday I felt completly different.  I have been naughty and been testing since day 10 with the pregnancy strips which detect 10ml of hcg (so even earlier than first response).  I thought I saw a really feint line on that day and since then nothing, did another test this morning and still nothing and no signs either (my boobs were big and quite sore and now nothing) My test day is Thursday which will be day 16 so I know I am early still but I also know my body.

had a big cry yesterday and feel better today.  I suppose I will go and see Dr Serhal but given my history of miscarriage and the fact we only had one embryo to transfer my Dh and I are seriously considering egg donation as our next step - the costs of IVF/PGS are so high its not worth the risk and the chances are so slim for me.  Egg donation in this country takes ages so I am considering going to spain where its much quicker (six months) - if anyone knows about this process could you let me know please however i know there is a thread on this website.

Jaffa, meg, loubie, angel wings - good luck with everything and I will still be here lurking and will let you know what Dr Serhal says but I imagine I wont be with the acu for much longer.

Take care lovely ladies and thanks for your support

Lucie xxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Good Morning Everyone

I hope you have been having a good time off work this weekend.

Meg: big, big hugs to you .... I know it has been an anxious time for you (since your first OST all those months ago!), and I just want to say that you have done really well. You must have been so disappointed with your follies, but I can't help wondering if there will still be a chance for them to grow over the next few days? Have they asked you to carry on injecting? I'm sorry you were told you will have to convert to IUI -- I hope Dr Ozturk will give you answers and hopefully alternatives when you speak to him. And the nurse is right -- all is not lost -- they can do different protocols, but you really do need a consultant's opinion on that. Please, please  let us know how you get on.

Lucie: Please don't give up yet! It was great to hear from you, and I hate to see you feeling so defeated ...please, just give it another go on Thursday and see what the test says. You must feel so deflated. I have a failed IVF behind me and I know how it feels ...... As for donor eggs, that's another ball games altogether, though it's one I have had at the back of my own mind, what with my embryos being of so-called 'poor quality'. You are right, there is a treatment abroad thread that deals with Spanish (and other) clinics ... but I think for now you should just take things one step at a time. Remember we are all here for you. Please write again when you can and don't give up hope.

I'm OK. Finished Primulot and expecting AF in next 2 days but I suspect she will be late, due to the Buserelin (happened last time). I'm so tired on this sniffing. Had friends over yesterday for Easter lunch and I'd be lying if I said I enjoyed it -- just feel so groggy and rather grumpy. Trouble is, I look 'normal' on the outside, so I think people think I'm just being a bad-tempered crab. 

lots of love

Jaffa

Loubie, Angel Wings, Cleocat, Fishwonder, Spanners .... I hope you are all feeling good.


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hello Hello

Lucie - I'm sure there's nothing anyone can say to make you feel better at the moment. You know your body better than anyone but try to wait 'til Thursday, the body has a way of playing tricks on you and you just never know. I'm keeping everything cross for you so please stay in touch and let us know how you're getting on.  

Jaffa - Thanks so much for your kind message. It means so much to know that there are people out there that understand and are rooting for you.  

I saw Dr Ozturk today and left feeling a bit more positive about the way forward. Even though the waiting room was really full he took time to discuss it all with us. What a nice man! He at least gave us reason to hope for the future. I have 3 ok sized follies and they did a blood test today which came out at 3000 which is about what they were hoping for (I think they look for about 1000 per follie?) so that would seem to indicate that there at least some decent eggs there. We're now heading for IUI on either Wednesday or Thursday this week, not what we were expecting but hey ho. He also said that the success rate of IUI compared to GIFT weren't that big anyhow so maybe we're not losing too much. (I hope) 

Anyway hope all you other ACU ladies have a good Easter.

Love Meg
x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Meg!

Was just having a surf and saw your message.

Great to hear about your positive consultation with Dr Ozturk. He certainly is a pleasant chap, and hopefully he put your mind at rest a bit. I'm curious to know what he said about success rates. Did he say how IUI compares against GIFT? What I do know is that, if you have 3 great little follies in there, then you may stand a really good chance with the IUI. Let's hope so.     

Incidentally, I was thinking about your story this morning and I remembered reading messages recently by a poster called 'Sweetcheeks'. She too started IVF but it was converted to IUI, and she got pregnant. So there really is hope out there!  

Take care,

Jaffa
x


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello ladies

Meg - well done on the three nice sized follies, as Jaffa said its not all bad news and you still have a really good shot at a pregnancy

Jaffa - has the af arrived yet?

As for me unfortunately as I suspected my ivf cycle failed as my AF arrived this afternoon so its not to be.  I am disappointed and feel frustrated but I am also looking forward to our next step which I feel in my heart has to be egg donation - its going to be difficult finding someone so our option to go overseas is definitely appealing.  I will call the acu tomorrow and book a follow up consultation and see what they say but it will take a lot of convincing to go down the IVF/pgs route again as the costs are too much - at least with ed i would be able to afford two rounds.  cant quite believe I am not going to have a baby sometime soon - it just feels so unfair but my hubby and are can still laugh together which is so refreshing and as for the baby its not over yet.  I am going to look into all options including adoption.

will let you know how the follow up goes and what they suggest - thanks for all your support and I wish you all the luck and love for the future for everyone on here.

Take care

Lucie Loo xxxxxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Lucie

So sorry AF came along and spoiled things ...    You sound incredibly resilient. Just remember that you did fantastically well on the IVF/PGS: a great crop of follies and one fabulous blastocyst. I am happy to see that you are already looking positively towards future options -- and your DH sounds like a great guy. Take care of one another right now and take things really easy.

I wish you every success in what you decide to do next. I know at least a couple of the clinics in Spain are very highly rated, so maybe you can find some information out about those when you are ready. I also hope you'll continue to drop onto the board and let us know how you are getting on. Take care and good luck. 

Lots of love

Jaffa


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Lucy -   Really sorry to hear things didn't work out, keep remaining positive and I wish you lots of love and luck in what ever route you go down. Keep popping in and let us all know how you are getting on.

Meg - Don't give up, remember my friend, she had only 2 follies and had IUI and look what happened.

Cleocat, Spanners & Fishwander - Hope you all had a good weekend and everything is ok.

Jaffa - Hows things going with you, AF arrived yet?

Nothing much happening with me at the moment, just want to get started, AF is hopefully going to put in appearance today or tomorrow and then with abit of luck I can start the Primulot in acoulple of weeks. I need to find out whether I am supposed to go for a follow up after the hysteroscopy as Mr Saradogen never said anything.

Love 

Angel wings


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello ladies

well, what a rollercoaster.....as you know my af arrived yesterday.....or so I thought.  Once it had arrived I put a tampax in (sorry tmi) and consoled myself with two glasses of red wine and a hot bath - before I went into the bath (this is a few hours later) I took the tampax out and it was clear - mmmm i thought, anyway, went to bed last night with another tampax and woke this morning  - once again it was clear so i did a test and a feint line came up. this was about 7am this morning - i have just done another one and the line came up quicker and slightly darker.....now I am really confused.  I know you can't get a false positive so I think there might be a pregnancy there but I am not getting my hopes up and wont believe it until I do a digital one and it actually says pregnant.  What do you all think?  (please be honest if you think it sounds odd - I am going crazy).  My test day from the acu was this thursday but I just assumed it was all over having had a small bleed yesterday.

Jaffa - any news on the af - where is she!!!

Meg - hope you are holding up honey, you only need one egg to make it work and I have everything crossed for you

angel wings - hopefully your af will arrive and you can crack on

Take care ladies and apologies for my erratic messages - I know when they said it was a rollercoaster I didnt realise people really meant it!!!


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

LUCIE!!!!

       

You're bloody right, you can't get a false positive, so it seems to me that you've got a                        

I could really smack your bum for testing so early, though to be honest I feel quite smug now as I told you you should wait! It must have been implantation bleeding.

By all means, get your hands on one of those digital tests and reassure yourself, though I honestly believe that it's worked for you this time. How fantastic!!!!!

Please report back when you find out more. Perhaps a blood test at the unit is what you need now?

love 

a very excited

Jaffa
xx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Lucy, a   thats absolutely brilliant news, you've made my day.

Love 

Angel wings


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

OH MY GOD !!!!!!!

Lucie you are a star !!!                     
This is amazing news !!! I am so thrilled for you !!!! Well done !!!!  Please keep us updated with ANYTHING!!!

Just to let you know we are having iui on thursday. 3 more follies have grown but unfortunately Mr Ozturk thought it was unlikely that they would catch up with the other 3 that are now a good size. We are doing the pregnyl injection at 11.45 am.....hope I can stay awake till then. 

Jaffa I asked Mr Ozturk about gift compared with iui and he basically said with such a low number of follies iui would be just as good as doing gift. I think if you have more follies gift is definitely the better option but it is not worth having such invasive treatment with 3 follies. Has your A/F arrived? When are you back in the clinic?

Hope everyone else is having a good week and I am sure Lucie's news has spurred us all on!

Love Meg
x


----------



## Catwoman (Apr 19, 2005)

Hello!
Hope you don't mind me crashing in here. I'm a fellow UCHer under Dr Ranieri (have been there since last March, 3 failed IUIs and an IVF that ended in early miscarriage). I made it to a day 5 transfer, but only two of the nine embies we started out with made it that far (all of them slowed down on a bit on day 4). That was back in October, and I'm just about to start on IVF 2 (due to start downregging on May 3). 
I do like it at UCH (especially the nurses – Leigh and Hannah are great), and I've grown quite fond of Dr Ranieri (he can have a rare old sense of humour at times). Have found it a bit disorganised at times, though, which worries me a bit. Also a bit concerned that they don't take potential immune probs that seriously, whereas the ARGC apparently do. 

Just wanted to add a huge congrats to Lucie – so hoping this works out for you! I cheered when I read about your BFP (I've been lurking for a while   ). Dr R has mentioned PGS as a possible next step for us if this cycle doesn't work, so it's great to know that there can be a happy ending!

Meg – wishing you lots of luck for Friday     

Hello to Jaffa – I think we've been in contact before! Good to see you again!

Wishing all the other UCHers lots of luck,

Love, Claire xx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello ladies

just thought i would drop you a note before the apprentice starts - my favourite.

OK well about six this morning i did a digital test (even though I was going to wait until my official test date tomorrow) and it came up straight away, so at the moment its a definite BFP which we are both pleased about.  I had my bloods taken this morning at the acu and they called this evening with a level of 186 which she said was ok - seeing as I had it a day early she said they like to see them between 150 and 200 (I am not sure if this is true and whether she is trying to reassure me - who knows!)  They want me back on Friday to check to see if they have doubled.  I am trying to be positive but it is hard to think that way and it would be such a shame if it goes wrong - still we can only wait and see.


MEG - good luck tomorrow I will be thinking of you - you dont need me to tell you it only takes on egg!!  fingers crossed it all goes smoothly for you.

Jaffa - hope you are doing OK honey (you are always right - I give you permission to smack my bum!!  ) - any sign of the af - how are you feeling?

Angel wings - thanks for your message  - you are waiting for the witch to turn up as well arne't you? Any news yet.

Claire - thanks for your message - glad to see you have come out of hiding and joined us - we are all here to help!!!  good luck with the down regging.  I know what you mean about the immune probs and the acu not taking them seriously - its a tricky one really.  I have had all the tests done but all clear apart from borderline NK cells.  I am not taking the steriods as dr serhal said i shouldnt so i just have to trust him  

Hello to fishwander, cleocat and spanners - hope you are all well.

Take care eveyone xxxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Evening All!  

Hope you are all feeling great tonight!

Lucie: I'm still beaming about your success, and am glad to hear that the blood levels were fine. Roll on Friday -- I'm sure you'll pass the next stage with flying colours. I'm sure I'm not alone when I say that your achievement is felt us all -- it's so nice to have something to celebrate, and it really does inspire and give hope.

Meggy:       for you and your precious follicles tomorrow! Am so glad to see that you are feeling a bit more chipper. Let's hope this IUI works its magic for you.

Angel Wings: Any sign of AF yet? Nothing doing at my end, though I felt like cack today -- dragging pains in tum and even nausea. For one ridiculous moment I thought I might even be pregnant. How unutterably stupid am I?  

Loubie: how you doing girl ..... well, I hope  

Cleocat, Fishwonder and Spanners .... come back and speak some more! It would be nice to hear how you're gettin on.

And finally ..... Catwoman!   You're right, we did have a chat some time back about having IUI with a blocked tube. Needless to say, it didn't work for yours truly. Last time we spoke you had just got your BFP, I am so very, very sorry that it didn't work out   We'll be here to egg you on through your next cycle though. By the way, did you know Leigh has left? She left about 3 weeks ago -- she will be sorely missed. She was the nurse who had been there the longest and frankly is the only one who can get any blood out of my puny veins.  

Went for acupuncture today in a desperate bid to get AF out. My acupuncturist said some of her patients' periods are delayed for up to a week  ! I'm a bit naffed off as if it comes after Friday then I will have to sniff longer than normal (as they prefer not to scan on weekends). What's more my DH is nagging me about a trip to the theatre, and we're wondering how the hell he's going to be able to give me my jab ... can't exactly nip into the bogs together, can we? Anyway, other than that, I just went and splashed out on my drugs today -- a cool £800. 

Anyway, that's it for me today. Just chilling out tonight with DH and Chutney the cat. Cambridge cold and wet and enjoying sub-zero temperatures. 

Laters!

Jaff
xxx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

hey girls,

have been offline for a few days but my goodness - how much has been going on since I've been away - Lucie, I was just reading the messages and felt really upset for you - then I carry on reading and wow!!! that's amazing - it's fantastic and you must be over the moon!!!!!

I have my appointment with mr saridogan about getting my tube whipped out, not sure what to expect, AF arrived yesterday so feeling in pain and like I can't be bothered!

Anyway will let you know how I get on....big hugs to everyone.

loubie xxxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Gang

Just checking in to say that AF has arrived! Either the acupuncture worked or I am in sympathy with you, Loubie!! 

Anyway, couldn't make the scan time they offered me for today, so I will be going to London tomorrow. If all is in order (do hope so) and there are no cysts or other nasties lurking around, I should be able to start jabbing on Saturday. Hoorah!

Hugs,

Jaffa
xx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello ladies

hope you are all well

Jaffa - pleased your af has arrived, I am sure the scan will be great and you can start this cycle with lots of positive vibes - onwards and upwards.  I am going to be at the clinic tomorrow for a follow up blood test!  To be honest I am totally cr***ing myself  - have no symptoms whatsoever, maybe a little tired but I know I cant read into anything too much - they are going to call on friday night to say whether the levels are increasing and I feel sick to the stomach with what they might say.

Loubie - lovely to hear from you!  thanks for your message - as you can see from the messages its all a bit of a rollercoaster.  When will you know what the situation is with your tube - will the doctor be able to give you a date or anything?

MEg - fingers crossed it all went well today.

I went to a physio today as I had pulled a neck muscle (bascially my husband says I walk like frankenstein) and the guy did some acupuncture on my neck after a lot of reassurance that it was safe.  it was quite nice - bit weird and the needles didnt hurt at all - hopefully it will help as I have been in agony!

Take care everyone xxxxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Everyone, the gang is getting bigger each time I log on. Still waiting for AF which she would hurry up been getting period pains since tues and I am getting impatient as I just want to get started.

Lucy - Good news about the levels, fingers & toes crossed the next reading is even higher.

Meg  - Hope everything went well today.

Jaffa - You lucky thing.

Hi Loubie, Catwoman, Fishwander, Spanners and Cleocat, I think thats everyone, sorry if I have missed anyone off.

See you later

Angel wings

xxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hello Again

Just logged on to see how Meg got on today ... hope all went well for you and your follicles ...   

Angel Wings: come on AF    ! Hey AW, we're going to be cycle buddies at this rate  

Loubie: hope your aches and pains have eased off a bit ... is it definite that the tube will have to go?  

Lucie: Fingers crossed for you tomorrow     and enjoy the lack of symptoms for now. I'll be bobbing around the clinic at 4pm.

Everyone else .... take care and good night!

Jaff x


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hello you lovely people,

Just to let you all know yesterday went well. DH produced a very good sample, there is definitely something in all those brazil nuts I have been making him eat! Dr Ranieri did the iui and it was much better than the other two times I have had it, maybe I am just getting used to it! I am feeling quite positive today, although I know I have two long weeks ahead of me!

Jaffa - Great news about your A/F arriving. Good luck today and lets hope you can start the lovely injections today or tomorrow. I will be checking to see how you got on later. 

Lucie - I am sure everything will be fine with your blood levels. Good luck today and again let us know. 

Loubie - Hope you A/F pains have eased. What us women have to put up with ! 

Anglewings - Hope your A/F has arrived and you are feeling o.k. 

A big welcome to catwoman, fishwander, spanners and cleocat !

Wishing you all a great weekend!

Love Meg
x


----------



## AnonymousAgain (Jul 14, 2005)

Hello everyone. Just a quick question cos I'm supposed to be working  !

Re your drugs, did you all get them directly from UCH, or did you purchase them elsewhere? If elsewhere do UCH actually mind if you do that? Am thinking about asking when I next go in for a scan, but wondered what their stance is on this? Is it Menopur that they tend to use for stimms? How did you all respond? My prior cycles I was on 150iu gonal-f per day for 12 days and responded fine, so am wondering how I'll respond to a different drug...

Thanks folks
Cleocat


----------



## Catwoman (Apr 19, 2005)

Hello all!
Lucie – sending you loads of         for today. Hope all goes well.. thinking of you!  
Meg – funnily enough, when Dr Ranieri did my third IUI, it was much less painful than the previous two, which had been done by Dr Serhal. Maybe he's just got a magic touch! Wishing you loads of luck for the 2ww.
Jaffa – best of luck for stimming! Lovely to catch up with you again. By the look of things, I'm going to be about three weeks behind you! 
Big hellos to Fishwander, Spanners and Angel Wings!
Cleocat (love the name!) just to let you know that you don't have to get your drugs from UCH – I go to Ali's chemist in Shadwell (v.close to the Docklands Light Railway station), and he's much more reasonable – a lot of the girls from this site who live in London go there. I've think he does Menopur for just £13 an ampoule – I'm picking up my Menogon from him today, which is £11 rather than £18! Works out as a huge saving. I think his Suprefact is £26.50 each, which again is much cheaper than the clinic. 
His number is 020 7790 9150, and the name of the chemist is Rigcharm. Just tell him want you want, fax over your script, then pick it up a couple of days later. Best of luck!
Just a quick question: we were told by one of the nurses that we'd need to be tested AGAIN for HIV, even though we tested negative last year before our treatment commenced, because it's 'HFEA policy to test before each IVF cycle.' I rang the HFEA to ask if this was true, and they gave me a wishy-washy answer and basically told me to refer to the website. After looking at their code of practice, it seems to me that the really strict guidelines only apply if you're donating eggs (which I'm not), and that the whole 'welfare of the child' screening thing (which I assume includes HIV testing) only needs to be redone if there's been a break of two years between treatment, I have a new partner, or my medical/social circumstances change (none of this applies). Any thoughts? My GP refuses to do the test 'cos he said it isn't their policy to test for something that's already been tested for (fair enough), but I refuse to fork out a couple of hundred quid for a test that I really, really don't need! 
See ya all later!
Lots of love,
Claire xxx


----------



## AnonymousAgain (Jul 14, 2005)

Hi Catwoman (we obviously adore our feline friends!)

Thanks for the info on the drugs - I've called Rigcharm and they're able to courier to Oxford for about £15 next day delivery so that sounds perfect! I do hope UCH don't take offence at us obtaining the drugs from elsewhere!

Re the HIV test, I believe that many clinics like to retest if the original tests were over a year ago, so maybe that's why UCH want you to have another test? It's a bit unfair that your GP won't help you - I knew that I needed the Day 3 and 21 bloods done again before seeing UCH so I managed to get them done through my GP, and requested the HIV, Hep B and C tests to be added to the list. Is there a different GP you can see at all - I'd try that route again if I were you - at the end of the day they're not funding anything else so the least they can do is help you in this respect - good luck!


----------



## Catwoman (Apr 19, 2005)

Hi Cleocat!
Great news about the drugs. I don't think UCH mind at all, it was actually one of the nurses who originally suggested I bought from elsewhere!
I doubt my GP will give in over the HIV test, so I might see if I can persuade UCH to think again. The original tests were March of last year, so it really is just over a year.
Have a lovely weekend ladies, will catch up next week!
Love Claire xx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hiya Gang

See it's been busy on the thread today!

Meg - well done you on a nice smooth IUI and the positive frame of mind. I tried to cast my mind back to who gave me the 'nicest' IUI (I had 4!!! ) and my award goes to ..... Dr Ozturk!    Yup, I distinctly remember his being the most acceptable ... Fingers, toes, and everything else crossed for you Meg.

Lucie: any news? Hope all went well today ..... 

Loubie: are you keeping well and have you cheered up a bit now? Hope so ...

AngelWings: ......well? Has the old witch arrived yet? Get your skates on, girl, we're supposed to be cycling together!

Catwoman: (miaow) -- DH has to have his HIV done again; they told me they do the blood tests each year. I didn't even know a GP might be able to do 'em  Am also interested to see that you're sticking with Menogon. Any reason for that? I responded quite well to the Menogon but they've put me on Menopur this time as they say it's purer. We'll see. What I do know is that it's more expensive, but I must say that I hated sticking those massive needles in my bum. Menopur can go in my podgy tummy instead.

Cleocat: nice to hear from you again. I agree with Catwoman; think you've made a good choice getting your drugs from Ali's. I was in there myself getting my drugs on Wednesday. His prices are very reasonable and he's a nice, polite man. As I live in Cambridge, it would have been good to get the stuff couriered to me, but as I was in London that day I picked them up. Don't forget to put your Pregnyl (if you're using it) in the fridge! And don't worry about the Unit -- they don't seem at all bothered if you don't get the drugs from them. You shouldn't feel shy anyway -- not with what you're paying!!!

Well my news is that I went down to the Unit today and had my first scan. Uterus and ovaries all in working order so I start jabbing tomorrow. It was soooooo quiet in the clinic, I couldn't believe my eyes. It's seems everybody's been away on Easter holiday. It was blooming boiling, though, I nearly passed out from the heat -- they need to sort out the timer on their central heating!

Got back from London a bit frazzled by the commuter rush, to find my smashing DH had cooked me a fabulous supper, and whipped me up a fresh fruit smoothy. He also pulled some fresh sea bream out the fridge that had caught his eye in Waitrose. He doesn't have a clue how to cook them but he thought they looked nice.

I hope you all have a lovely weekend.
Hugs,

Jaff
xx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Evening

Just checking to see if there was any news from Jaffa and Lucie...

Jaffa -  Glad to hear everything went well today. I agree, it is boiling in that place especially this week. At one point my face was so red and blotchey I thought it was going to explode!
Hope you have a lovely dinner, sea bream is delicious  

Looking forward to catching up soon

Love Meg
x


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

morning everyone 

as you can see I am up early today - god knows why just woke up!

Jaffa - FANTASTIC news, that really is excellent that all is good and well there for you to start with the lovely injections - have they given you dates when you think the transfer might happen - because I am an ivf'er do you mind explaining how GIFT works?  Your husband is a sweetie, it makes it all seem worthwhile doesn't it!

Meg - so the 2ww is upon us for you - fingers crossed for you and sending lots of positive sticky vibes - do you have a test date yet?

Catwoman - I thought the test limit (in terms of starting a new cycle) was six months but they was when I was looking into egg donation overseas.  I think you have to push it with the acu - the worst that can happen is they say no.  However if their hands are tied by the **** then it might be tricky as the one thing i have learnt from the acu is they do things by the book.

Angel wings - hope you are OK honey - any sign of the witchy poo yet?

Cleocat - well done on the drugs and as you can see from the messages they dont mind at all.  it makes you feel you have a 'mini victory' somehow (well it did with me!!)

Hello Loubie & fishwander - hope you are OK

OK, my news - well yesterday I had the day from hell and officially went crazy loopy ga ga bonkers.  Stupidly I got myself into a right ole mess and convinced myself it was going to be bad news (I know jaffa - you can tell me off, my friends have!!!)  I dont know what happened but I couldnt stop crying, I was fed up with the whole thing, just expecting things to go wrong as that is what I have been used to.  i got to the clinic and saw hannah and she kind of indicated that they had called me back for a repeat blood test because my intial result of 186 on day 15 was a little low (I knew it was!!!) so, cut a long story short I met my husband for lunch after that (cried in the sandwich shop - oh the shame) then cried on the train, got home cried, then hubby came home and we waited for the dreaded phone call and....it was great news (poor catlin who generally calls me and looks after me must of been so nervous as before I even said hello she shouted 'its good news' - i think they knew I was in a state).  My levels had gone up from 186 to 487 which means its more than doubled which was a great result.  Next step is my scan on 8th May which will mean my dates are around 6weeks 5 days (in theory) So I have promised myself to stay positive until then.  still dont have any symptoms apart from a little tiredness but knowing my levels have gone up regardless gives me hope.  All my other pregnancies I felt very pregnant early on so because this is different I am hoping its good news.  onwards and upwards as they say.

Take care lovely ladies

Lucie xxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Gang

Phew, Lucie ... you certainly know how to make a fellow ACU-er sweat ... my heart was in my mouth reading your story. Quite a saga, but, HEY! It had a HAPPY ENDING!  So pleased for you and DH, don't worry about having had a little wibble; you've been through an incredibly stressful time lately and as I have told you time and again, you have done quite brilliantly! (Hannah is cute, though, isn't she? And is Caitlin the new one -- blonde?)

Hope you're all feeling tip-top this sunny, shiny weekend. In spite of my husband taking extra super care of me now for the last 16 hours, I'd just like to share a little problem with you all, as it is preying on my mind. I am about to lost my job: well not exactly -- they want to take me off a full-time job (fixed-term contract, have been working there 4 years) and offer me four hours' work -- yes you read that right -- (plus some extras) when my contract ends in September. I'm a university lecturer and teach a very obscure subject -- only about 5 universities offer what I teach, so it is not feasible for me to simply up sticks and work somewhere else. Besides, my husband works in Cambridge and we own a house here ... I saw a job in Edinburgh recently but moving there would be quite out of the question. I feel incredibly sad because I do a good job and feel very undervalued. Obviously, much of me wants to tell them to stuff their 'offer' where the sun doesn't shine, but if I do that then I may end up working in Debenhams (which is a perfectly respectable job, don't get me wrong, but not one that was part of my grand career scheme ). I have contacted my union to find out my 'rights', if any, but part of me says 'What the heck' ..... I'm trying desperately to get pregnant, and if I do get pregnant with GIFT (please, God/Allah/Yahweh, whoever), then they certainly won't employ me for just one term's work, so maybe I should just tell them to sod off here and now.

I'm trying not to let this get to me, but as you know, doing IF treatment can be very destabilising, and I'm worried about so many things here, including money, pension, sick-pay, paid hols, maternity leave (which I won't get) and long-term career options if the GIFT doesn't work and I find myself out of a job. Work are starting to pressure me for an answer now and I don't know what to do. I'm trying so hard not to get stressed that I'm sticking my head in the sand and hoping this will go away .... it won't.

Any advice, please, friends?

Yours anxiously,

Jaffa
xxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Everyone,

Lucie, have you not heard of saturday lie in, i'm usually awake but not getting up for no one   fab news about your levels. Keep  .

Jaffa, Good luck with the jabbing, I remember when i had to do it for my IUI's I was a hormonal mare, hopefully that won't happen this time around. Do you do them yourself or does Dh do them? I'm too much of  a chicken, I would be stood there all day with a needle in my hand, thank god hubby does them or i don't know what I would do.

Meg, glad your IUI went well, we are all rooting for you now, hope the next two weeks flies by for you.

Hope the rest of you girlies are good.

As for me the   has well and truely got on her broomstick, I don't know whats going on, I think it might be something to do with the hysteroscopy I had afew weeks ago, maybe it has messed my cycle up abit, as I should have it by now, day 32 today.

Went for a fantastic chinese last night with some of the girls from work, The Golden dragon in Gerrard St in china town, definently recommend it, quite trendy looking inside. Then had to run like hell for the last tube, just about made it, not good when you have just stuffed yourself silly.

 ladies thats useful info about the drugs, i'm going to check that out when i know what I'll be put on.

Jaffa when you say 4 hours, do you mean 4 hours aday or 4 hours a week, sorry if i'm being abit  .

Take Care

Angel wings


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi everyone

sunday morning and its raining....and it was such a lovely sunny day yesterday.  we are meeting friends for lunch today who have twins on the way, naturally, not planned for and with no history of twins in the family!!!  still i dont mind as she is lovely and deserves it.

anyway, jaffa - poor you and the work situation.  it is a difficult predicament to be in.  I don't know if you remember but I left my job in November without a job to go to as my boss was harrassing me, not the same situation as you but I can relate to the uncertainty of not having a job and going through IVF.  My advice would be to take the four hours (a week/day?) they offer you as it means you are still doing what you love and you have a connection there - it also means the door is still open for you if the situation changes (even though you probably hate them for putting you in this position) and the time you have off you can look for other work - can you consider home teaching of any kind  - even if it is not in your chosen subject.  I know schools are desperately short of supply teachers as well - not ideal  but at least it keeps you busy and there is money coming in.  i now work part time doing freelance marketing and it is the best decision i made as there is no way on earth i could go through IVF with the all appointments and follows and work in a full on job.  maybe you should use this opportunity to your advantage and see what the future brings - it will all work out I am sure.

Meg - hope you are not going mad like me and the 2ww is ok for you

angel wings - you think i was up early yesterday, try 5am this morning - dont know what is wrong with me!

anyway, still no symptoms but trying to chill about it - snapped at poor hubby this morning which wasn't nice of me so i am hoping the hormones are building up nice and strong.

take care everyone xx


----------



## Spanners (Apr 2, 2006)

Hi everyone,

Wow - I haven't checked in for a few days and there's so much going on. Is there anyone at ACU whos not on this thread?  I'm starting my drugs for my next round of IVF tomorrow so it'll be great to keep in touch with how everyone else is doing and feel like I'm not completely doing this on my own apart from hubby's support.

Lucie - you're now my inspiration, I hope you're OK. For someone who says they have no symptoms you're sounding pretty hormonal   so thats a good thing!! 

Jaffa - sorry to hear about the work nightmares.  Not got much in the way of useful advice but I hope it works out.  I'm having probs with work too, more due to me stressing about it than anyone being a problem.  I agree with Lucie, its almost impossible to do a full time job and IVF with all the appointments etc, escpecially if it has to be a repeated process. I'm working on a project at the mo which is due to come to a manic head at just around the time my EC and ET will be due this time. Still what the heck this is far more important - I just need to try not to get too stressed about it.  

Thanks everyone for the info about the HIV repeat testing, you learn loads on here - no-one has mentioned this yet to us so I'm hoping we'll be OK as we only did our first cycle just after Xmas but at least I'm prepared if they ask us to repeat the tests.

Another contact for drugs (I got off another thread on here). I just got mine from Fazeley Pharmacy in Tamworth. Really helpful chap also called Ali (strange) who posted them out to me next day delivery for £8 postage. Menopur was £13.50 per ampule, so almost as good as the Shadwell place.

Well hope you're all doing well. Good luck to all you 2ww-ers and mid cycle druggies!! I feel like I'm well behind most of you but hopefully there's some others out there just about to start out too.

Spanners xx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Afternoon Chums

Feeling fragile today after the migraine from hell yesterday  It came on mid-afternoon and persisted until bedtime; I was clutching my head from the pain -- had to give in in the end and take painkillers, though I didn't want to. I still feel its effects a bit this afternoon. I got myself a bit stressed out yesterday. There's something so exciting/terrifying about taking that next big step onto injections .... I'm also scared I won't respond well as when I took them for IUI I only got one crummy follicle big enough (and around 4 tiddly ones).

Thanks Angel Wings, Lucie and Spanners for your support re: work. I confess it is getting me down a bit; more than it should, but I suppose I'm a bit of a worry-wart.  By the way, Angel Wings, it is is 4 hours' teaching A WEEK they are offering  me, though there'll be more hours for extra bits and bobs. Me and DH calculated this morning that my basic salary would be around 5K .... before tax! I can't help thinking I'm worth more than that .... take your point, though, Lucie, about keeping a foot in the door. At the end of the day, I love my job and do it well. I'll try to get some more info tommorow and proceed from there.

Spanners -- great to hear from you again and good to see that you've got your drugs and are raring to go. What stage are you at now? I know exactly how tricky it can be balancing work and appointments ... I have generous holidays, but in term-time it's a non-starter.

Angel Wings: if AF doesn't come perhaps you could have a session of acupuncture? I had one to bring on a bleed and lo and behold, it came the next day ....

Meg : hope you're having a nice weekend and feeling relaxed now in your 2-ww. Fingers, toes, eyes and ears crossed -- as ever!!

Enjoy your Sunday everyone, and Lucie -- enjoy your meeting with your friends.

love 

Jaff
xx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Girls,

Hope everyone is having a good weekend, I can't believe the weather was so gorgous yesterday and today it is rain.
Well I am still waiting for AF but i feel like it's going to be today or tomorrow, Jaffa I've got acupuncture booked tomorrow anyway, so we'll see what happens. 

See you later

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## Catwoman (Apr 19, 2005)

Hello all!

First things first: Lucie, yay!!!!!!!                 that's fab news! Here's to the next eight months!  

Angel – I'll do an AF dance for you if that'll help! 

Jaffa – hmmmmm. It's a tough one. I'd probably go for staying put and taking less hours (even though it means less pay), just because I think IVF is such a rollercoaster, it's good to hang on to familiar surroundings if you can. But that's just my view... loads of luck with whatever you choose to do.

Hello to Spanners, Fishwander and Cleocat, Meg, and anyone I've forgotten!

Huge thanks to everyone who offered advice on the HIV testing. We've decided to push ACU and see if they'll back down. Which I very much doubt. Other than that, all is well in Catwomanland... just waiting to start Primulot on Wednesday, and then it's all systems go! Spanners, would I be right in thinking that we're pretty much at the same stage?

Happy monday, people! Will check in later.
Love, Claire xxx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

Hello everyone.

Lucie, fab news, big hugs and fingers crossed for you that everything goes smoothly x

an update on me - went to see mr saridogan on thurs, he's suggested that both tubes go.   plus they have to try to unstick my bowel as it's stuck to my uterus, too much information at lunchtime possibly - sorry! So I go in on the 18th May, we're madly decorating our bedroom so I've somewhere nice to lie and feel sorry for myself in...  but as it's keyhole we can start the ivf again about 4-5 weeks after the tubes are removed...so that was better than I expected I thought it would be around 3 months before we could start. It feels like it's never going to happen though, still at least this will improve the chances of it happening.....so keep your finger crossed!

Jaffa, I agree with lucie, stick with what you know, I've just reduced my hours at work to part time as the travelling to and from brighton was doing my head in. I'm so glad I stayed where I was as I was thinking of leaving and working locally but wanted to have the treatment at UCH. I'm so glad I did as it means that I can get my operation at the portland paid for by my healthcare...saving us loads of cash! But it's so unfair, 4 hours a week, is there anyway you can freelance at all anywhere else or is it a really specialist subject you teach? Big hugs to you, it doesn't help when these things happen, especially as we're all probably a bit fragile with all this business that we have to go through!

hello to everyone else, there's loads of us here now!!

have a good monday 

loubie xxx


----------



## Catwoman (Apr 19, 2005)

Oh, Loubie... bet it wasn't the news you wanted to hear, but it's good news that you can start IVF so soon after treatment. Wishing you lots of luck!
Love, Claire xx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hiya Gang,

Hope you're all doing well.

Loubie:   for your poorly tubes .... I know the prospect of the op. is rotten, but it is pretty impressive that you can jump back onto the IVF bandwagon so quickly ... hope your decorating is going well. Good idea to do it now, as they say paint fumes (chemicals) should be avoided when TTC. I'll be going down the keyhole route with my GIFT treatment ... seems my bikini wearing days are well and truly over!   Not that I'd look all that great in one, anyway, what with my large drug-induced spare tyre, full of menopur, water and protein drink ..... yuck  

Any success with 'pushing' the ACU, Catwoman? I'm in tomorrow for bloods and a swab, and DH is in for his HIV and 'sperm for culture' test .... no, it's nothing to do with ballet-dancing or opera-singing sperm, it's something to do with shoving it in a petri dish and seeing if it's got bugs in it.  

Thanks everyone for your friendly advice re: work. I called my union's legal helpline this morning and they told me to fire off a letter stating a statuatory grievance .... the advisor said it would 'scare them'. It's made me feel so down. I just don't feel like making a godalmighty fuss right now .. I just want to be able to survive financially, doing the job that I enjoy. Thank God, DH has just been promoted so we certainly won't starve. I  just don't want massive work aggro while I'm going through this.  



Jaffa


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hello, hello

Wow it has been busy over the last couple of days! Its great to log on and find so many posts  

Just to let you all know I had a much better weekend and it was great to see the sun and the outside of my flat for a change. We went down to watch the marathon on Sunday, what determination it must take to participate. It made me feel like I must get myself in shape and take part next year, basically stop eating yummy food and start exercising!! If only I had the will power. Talking of weight I have put on half a stone since starting my gift/iui cycle , please be honest and tell me if you think its comfort eating or the drugs....! I was back at work today and it took all my strength to concentrate and get on with everthing. I keep counting how many days I have left to wait, and when I can start testing. I know it is very naughty to test early but it is so tempting......

Jaffa - So sorry to hear about your work situation, this is last thing you need. I would take what they are offering for now then start looking at other possible options. I hope things sort themselves out 

Loubie - Although your news isnt what you expected its great you have a date set and as I said to you before you are definitely in the right hands with Mr Saridogan. Keep chatting with us. 

Lucie- I hope you are still smiling and everthing is going just as it should.

Hello to anglewings, catwoman, spanners, fishwander and cleocat..and anyone else.

Love Meg
x


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

UCH Possy,

Loubie, sorry to hear about your tubes but you are in safe hands with Mr Saridogan, he's lovely and put me at ease the other week when I saw him and it's great you won't have to wait too long to resume IVF.

Jaffa, I think I would take the 4 hours and see if I could get some extra work to top up. I don't know if i would go down the union route as you said yourself, you don't want to add to your stress, sorry not much help I know.

Meg, hang on in there, how many days to go?

Well, i've had my weekly torture as a human pin cushion, so hopefully that will bring the   on otherwise Catwoman i will be asking you to do that AF dance for me.

Hi to everyone else, hope you are all .

Angelwings
xxx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello ladies

Hope you are all ok.

Loubie - lovely to hear from you, but sorry to hear both your tubes have to go.  still its onwards and upwards and at least you know where you stand.  its remarkable that you can start treatment so quickly, the time will fly by and then things will be great for you.

jaffa - hope you are ok and kicked some butt with your work (nasty people)

Meg - how are you feeling on your 2ww?  have you gone crazy yet like i did!!!!

Angel wings - glad your af came - i had acupuncture for my neck and it seems to of done the trick

Claire - good luck with the primulet tomorrow - whats the next stage for you?

Spanners - how are you getting on with the drugs - what ones are you taking?

Dont think I have missed anyone off (fishwander - where are you!!) I am feeling ok - its been a week since my positive result and I dont feel laods different to be honest but I am hoping this is a good thing as I always felt pregnant early doors and it was never to be.  still just have to wait until my scan (providing there are no scares between now and then)  had work yesterday and today which was fine, tomorrow i am spending the day ironing and cleaning (within reason) - how sad is this I am actually looking forward to it as I have had to stop all the housework since being on the 2ww......

anyway, take care everyone 

Lucie xxx


----------



## zora (Sep 30, 2005)

Ladies sorry to crash your thread. I'm thinking of maybe getting a second opinion from UCH after 2 IVF failures .Does anyone recommend any particular consultants ? Also  do UCH do private and  NHS or just private ?
Thanks for your help sorry again for the intrusion


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Evening All!

Hope you're all doing grand. Had my swab and E2 test done today -- all seems fine and I'm staying with 5 ampoules. Actually felt some twinges this evening, so I reckon something must be happening in there 

Lucie: take it easy and enjoy your symptom-free state! I've read lots of women on here worrying that they haven't had any symptoms .... only to regret that once the morning sickness kicked in!! No, seriously, it's understandable that you are monitoring yourself closely, I know I'd be the same if I were you. Just keep nice and chilled and you'll be just fine. By the way, I did kick work's butt yesterday and they've gone all quiet, which means they might be up for negotiations ...... or they're going to make me redundant!  We'll see.

Spanners: you mentioned that you would be starting your drugs. What stage are you at and what are you taking right now? Hope you're feeling ok.

Angelwings: all quiet from you .... trust you are feeling well today and that you've booked in your scan! 

Catwoman: it'll feel great when you start the Primulot tomorrow; it's a small step, but one step closer to your long-awaited treatment. By the way, when you did IVF with them last year were you on the protocol that involved taking the pill? I remember that's what I had.

Loubie: how are you feeling at the prospect of surgery? Have you had adhesiolysis before? I had it two years ago; I was an utter mess inside: ovaries stuck to bowel stuck to spleen stuck to womb ... you name it. The surgeon removed about 75% of the adhesions. Not fun but very necessary. I actually conceived naturally a few months after, but sadly I m/c 

Meg: don't talk to me about weight gain! You should see the state of me. I'm not a fat person usually, very tall and a size 12, but at the moment I look like a barrel on legs -- or a middle aged woman. It's definitely the drugs. I've been taking them constantly for nearly a year now, and it is true that they settle on the tummy. I actually look a bit pregnant, which is a bit ironic, to say the least.

Cleocat and Fishwonder ... hope you are well.

Lastly, Zora -- hello! Our various views regarding the ACU UCH are expressed at the beginning of this thread, and most of them are favourable. In my experience, I was allocated a particular consultant on our first visit (Mr Serhal), and he has been the person we deal with from there on, though his colleagues Mr Ozturk and Ranieri have also done various procedures on me. They are a small team, so you tend to get seen by them all at some point. As far as I know, UCH only do private IVF. If you need any more info, just ask, I am sure those who post here would be pleased to advise.

Night all!

love

Jaff
xx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

By the way, Gang, just wanted to show off a bit as I'm feeling quite proud of myself -- did my own injection tonight and it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. Had to get into practice as DH is out on the razz tomorrow, so I'll be doing it again then. 

Jaff
xx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

hi everyone - yay it's wednesday and a bank holiday is looming!! (and it's my wedding anniversary this weekend and am heading out for a posh dinner on saturday night- can't wait!!)

well done you jaffa, I was dreading the thought of the injections - it was the thing that was scaring me most and dh goes all wobbly at the sight of needles!! 

I'm kind of worried about the surgery - the only thing I've had done before was a lap and hysteroscopy and I felt a bit yuk when I came round from that but not too bad. My bowel is also stuck to my uterus apparently so he's going to try and unstick that as well as removing the tubes...it has to be done though so I guess I have to get on with it. The way I deal with it is thinking that a lot of people  have to go through much worse and then I stop myself feeling sorry for myself. Things could be a lot lot worse...so I'm thankful that they're not! My mum died from cancer when I was 17 and she had to have a mastectomy and then chemo and radiotherapy so I think of her and it gets me through it, she was a strong woman and I try to be like that when I get a bit wobbly....

sorry to waffle on - bet you wish you'd never asked!!!

have a good day everyone, hope the sun is shining where you are - it's beautiful in NW1!!


loubie xx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi loubie

I just wanted to drop you a note after reading your post as it made me realise just what strong women we all are.  What happened with your mum must be a difficult thing for you, but what an inspiration you are to take the good things from what happened and count your blessings.  Trying to have a baby is one of the hardest things to face so I think we all deserve a pat on the back for being brave, all of us. 

Your dinner out sounds lush, I love eating out its my favourite thing. Good luck with your surgery today, its a step in the right direction and I will be thinking of you.  

Take care 

Lucie x


PS Jaffa - well done on the injections, there not so bad after a while.  I am still injecting as I am on heparin (possibly throughout pregnancy)  my legs look battered!!


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Loubs, you're so right       you've got to stay positive -- I admire your approach. And Lucie, you're right, too -- it's clear that we've all been through a fair amount on this board ... if I'm honest with you, this thread is the only place where I dare complain and be a wimp, as I know that everyone else here understands and can relate to what I'm going through. In all my other encounters (ie at the clinic, with friends, family, colleagues) I'm as hard as nails, and that can be a bit wearing sometimes.

Anyway, Loubie, what I can tell you is that you will probably feel similar to how you felt after your lap when you have your surgery, though clearly they are doing a fair bit more and you will feel quite tender. You'll also have the lovely stiches, yellow and green bruising and a tummy that looks like Billy Bunter!   I'd recommend you take some joggers or trousers/a skirt with a drawstring waist with you, as you won't want to put any pressure on your sore bits. I was back in good shape within a week, though a pal of mine thought I should have spun out the invalid bit a bit longer -- but then she's a massive drama queen.  

My gripe of the day (yes, there's always one!) is .... healthy eating! I'm getting so fed up now of staring at muesli, fruit and mineral water every piggin' day! I want one of those nice kebabs on skewers or a decent curry or a gin and tonic with ice and a slice! Sod this healthy eating lark, it's getting boring!   Where are you going for your anniversary meal Loubie? Somewhere nice in Brighton? So much good grub to choose from there!

Love

Jaffa
xx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hi everyone!

Well I have been back at work for three days and although I have had nearly 4 weeks off it feels like I have never been away! I miss catching up with everyone on this site during the day as I now have to do all my logging on in the evenings. 

Loubie - Things have not been easy for you. You must be quiet an amazing lady to cope with all this too!   

Jaffa - Well done to you for giving yourself the injections   I just couldn't do it so my DH had the pleasure.

Lucie - Glad to hear that things are still going well. I have to admit I am going a bit crazy. I have convinced myself today that I am definitely not pregnant as I already feel like I have got period pains. I have another week to go but this is how I usually feel at this time of my cycle so I am expecting  to arrive next week. Just wondering if anyone else has rumblings early on  

Well I must go as my sister is cooking dinner....

A  big   to eveyone else.

Lots of love 
Meg
x


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Girl's,

   The   has landed    , thank god, I was beginning to give up. It's abit sad really when you get excited your period is here but saying that i've got horrible cramps  but that's nothing new, men, they don't know the half of it.

Anyway I rang UCH today and the news is I can start my Primulut on day 14, so roll on 2 weeks, I can't wait to get started.

Hi Zora, as Jaffa said you will either see Mr Serhal or Mr Ranieri who are both very knowledgable but not very people friend but don't let that put you off as they know their stuff which is the most important and the nurses are lovely. I was recommended by a really good friend who now has a 7 week old baby boy (had IUI when she couldn't do IVF now has 7week old baby boy), also she was recommended by someone else who had a successful IVF first time. Good Luck.

Jaffa, If my DH has to go out when I do the injections, I think I would to have to follow him, failing that my downstairs neighbour is a nurse. My diet has been really bad though I have tried really hard this week, the biggest pain for me is drinking all the water, I'm at the toilet every 2 minutes. What's  an E2 Test?
Have you made a decision about your job yet?

Lucy, hope you are feeling ok and taking it easy.

Meg, How's things?

Loubie, Just think of yourself in one of those sexy gowns and surgical stockings  I had one of the new re furbished rooms when I went in with a flat screen tv, not that I watched much tv as I felt sick as a dog. It's really wierd as when I went in last year I was alright but this time i felt sick but the nurses are nice and really attentive.

Spanners, Catwoman and Fishwander, how are all of you?  

Love

Angel wings

xxx


----------



## zora (Sep 30, 2005)

for all your help. Have also looked at the first page.
Good luck to everyone


----------



## saffire (Apr 17, 2006)

oh my god

the 4 of you have kept me up to all hrs of the morn reading your saga's

Lucie- wow,  gives me hope, and i imagine your doing well still ?

Jaffa, Meg, Loubie et all... all progressing... I just confsued with all the diff stories. I followedLucie's because it was so close to my ow situation.

I think UCL are a great clinic, agree with you all on Serhal, I was seen by Ranieri, hes cute and I got to really like him, infact have a crush on him, love sexy italian men....

great reading though and good luck to all you ladies, must go to bed before my hubby starts screaming...read the whole thread from page 1-16...talk about happy endings...

Lucie - you must give me an update on how things are, I learned so much about your experiences and story...

saffire


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi ladies

its friday!!!

Saffire - thanks for your pm - I have given you a detailed account!!  You are quite right our stories are very similar x

Meg - hope you are doing ok.  It was so weird reading your post as i was exactly the same (read back -i can prove it!!!)  first week of the 2ww i felt really positive that it had worked, second week felt completly normal and convinced myself it hadnt worked, tested really early and then two days before I was supposed to test I had a very small bleed (very small) and so thought it was over - had two glasses of wine, nurofen and a hot bath - then two days later I had a positive.  Stick in there meg - its not over till its over.  I would say try to keep positive and not worry  but it is so difficult, just try to distract yourself and keep busy (also a treat yourself in some way as it will make you feel better) - when is your test day?

Loubie - hope the surgery went ok and you are relaxing.

Jaffa - hope you are ok have you been doing any more injections on your own?

Angel wings - glad your af arrived - how is the primulet going - are you doing IUI?

I am fine, still not feeling very pregnant but i now a lot of people dont get many symptoms so early on - just praying it will be ok at the scan.  feeling quite scared at the prospect of it going wrong again but hopefully  not!

have a lovely weekend - will be checking to see how you are all getting on xxx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

morning everyone!

you're all completely right - we're all pretty tough to have to do this and jaffa I'm exactly the same - I refuse to moan or complain about it to anyone else....I couldn't face people thinking I was a right old whinger!! On here it's different, because we're all going through our own stuff we're better equipped to understand! thanks for the advice with the surgery, as we've got to drive back to Brighton when it's all over I'm going to make sure I've got my pj's on in the car for comfort! I intend to take as long as I can off work, I'm hoping the sun will be out and I can sit in the garden!!

I'm off to blanche house for my posh dinner on Sat - it's a really nice hotel in Brighton, haven't been there before but can't wait - the menu looks fab..and I can't wait!

make sure you all have a lovely bank holiday weekend, let's hope the sun is out and we're all smiling  

lots of love to you all

loubie xxx


----------



## Fishwonder (Apr 6, 2006)

Hello everyone !!

Lucie, congratulations on your pregnancy, I hope all goes well over the nail biting next few weeks.

Can I ask you a question about pregnancy testing. I notice that you went to Blastocyst before the embryos were transferred. Can you tell me if that impacted the date you did your pregnancy test? I too went to Blastocyst and I keep reading different things about when to test. At ACU is it always 16 days after ET or if it's gone to blastocyst do you just test at the same time as it would have been if you had had the ET on say day 3?

Logic would tell me you would test on the same day regardless on whether ET is day 2 to 5 because presumably what happens in the "dish" is the same as what would happen "inside" but I'm not 100% sure. What day did you get your positive result?

Good luck to everyone at your individual stages!


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi fishwander

thanks for your message and good luck with your treatment.

I tested far too early, from about day ten!  With regard to it being a three day v five day blastocyst it shouldn't make a difference with testing as its only when the embryo has implanted that it starts producing hcg.  Embryos can implant at different stages and in fact (even though I had a blastocyst), the acu seem to think I was a late implanter as I had a small implantation bleed on day 12. I did get my positive test on day 14 (on a pregnancy strip - still a bit feint) and on day 15 (6am!) I did a digital and it came up straight away.  The acu tell you day 16 so you get a pretty much accurate result as the hcg should (in theory) of built up enough by them to register on the test.

Hope this answers your question - you will probably test early if you are anything like me!  Just remember everyone is different.  A friend of mine didnt get a positive test until she was six weeks and has a three year od daughter as a result!

Take care and keep in touch x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hello Everyone

Nice to see you are all doing well.

Had my day 7 scan today and it was fine: 11 follies, though 1 is on the small side. If I remember correctly, this is  a little better than my response on my first IVF. Let's hope they continue to thrive until next Friday, which is when my GIFT is scheduled for.

Loubie: have heard of Blanch House, it is said to be very swanky. Hope the meal tastes as fabulous as it looks on the menu, and happy anniversary!  

Lucie: you're still sounding nice and calm. Hope you are enjoying your early pregnancy! When is your first scan?

Meg: how are you getting on with the 2-ww? Please don't be too pessimistic; we are rooting for you for a BFP   

Angel Wings: well it was about time   showed her ugly face. Hope time doesn't pass too slowly for you before you start the Primulot.

Fishwonder: well, you go all quiet on us and then you come back with a blastocyst on board! Good for you! Hope all went well for you there, and that it wasn't too stressful. I'm sure it was worth it, though, as blasts stand a very good chance of success -- again,    

Saffire: nice to meet you and welcome to the board! Have you had PGS too (if you don't mind me asking)? If so, when do you test? Hope to hear more from you.

Cleocat and Catwoman ... hope you're feeling fabulous and that things are proceeding nicely for you.  

No Bank Holiday excitement for us, I'm afraid, as I have scan no. 2 on Monday and then an acupuncture session to follow. Ah well! Hard to think that (all being well) this time next week I'll be feeling sore from the operation!   Hopefully the clinic will be quiet on Monday; I've been most impressed on my last few visits as they've had the place running well with few if any waits. When Dr Iffat gave me my scan this morning she was saying that, although the computer was chockablock with appointments, they'd had no emergencies to deal with and so things were going nicely and smoothly. She is very sweet.

Wishing you all a lovely weekend.

Lots of love

Jaffa
xx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hiya,

Just a quick one today as we are going away to the Cotswolds for the weekend and I just wanted to wish everyone a great bank holiday. Great news about your follies Jaffa, hope you scan on Monday goes well. 

Thanks for all your words of encouragment during my 2ww. It really is hell isn't it! Anyway, although I seem to have period pain already I am going to try and stay positive until Thursday when I will be testing...or maybe Wednesday night!

Have fun ladies    

Love Meg
x


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Girls,

Just want to say a quick hello to everyone and hope everyone has a fab weekend and the sun keeps shining.

Loubie   have a lovely time.

Catch ip with everybody later.

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## Fishwonder (Apr 6, 2006)

Hi Everyone!

Thanks Lucie for your message, that really helped. In the end I plucked up the courage to test on day 14 and guess what... I got a huge   !! I managed to squeeze a blood test in at UCH on the same day and got a blood test result of 1070!!! To say I'm in shock is an understatement !! Of course it's such early days but I want to keep positive along this part of the journey.

I just wanted to wish you all well in your treatments and hope that good luck is around the corner for everyone here.

I don't have regular computer access so excuse me if I'm not in regular contact.

Best of luck to you all!!


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Fishwonder: allow me to be the first to congratulate you!!!

         

Wonderful news! And what very high blood results! Do you think we might be looking at twins here? I hope you'll get the chance to get back onto a computer before too long and let us know how you are getting on.

That's the second  in as many weeks, which is really inspirational! You know they sometimes say good luck runs in threes ..... well I hope I'm allowed to be a little greedy here and say that I hope this good luck rubs off on me too (hey, I mean ALL OF US)!  

I'm actually feeling quite chuffed, as at my scan today it showed I have 13 follicles at 12mm or above, which means there should be a nice crop ready for the GIFT on Friday. And, what's more, I was told that the lining of my womb was 'beautiful'.    How's that for flattery?   

Looking to forward to hearing how your Bank Holidays went -- hope they were fun.

Love

Jaffa
xx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Fishwander,

Thats brilliant news, you and Lucie give the rest of us hope. Keep in touch so we know how you are getting on.

Jaffa, thats good news on your follies, we're all rooting for you.  

Hope you all had a good weekend, I took my little neice to Woburn Safari Park on sunday and had a great time, then got home to lots of cuddles with her little sister who is only 5 weeks old, whose really big considering how old she is. It's the first time I've seen her since the day she was born as chicken pox has been doing the rounds at work so I've had to stay away just to be on the safe side. (I work in a nursery with 2 to 3 year olds). I also have two friends who i'm itching to see both with babies, one who I have not seen yet, so hopefully will be catching up with them soon.

Catch you all tomorrow.

Angel wings


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi ladies

Fishwander - congratulations that is wonderful news - and what a high result -sounds like twins to me!

Jaffa - great news on your follies, very impressive x

I am a little worried this morning, was just about to leave for work and I have had some spotting, there was a little bit and it seems to of stopped but I am freaking out as I havent really had really strong symptoms, which I know i shouldnt read into, and to add to this my husband has flown to monte carlo for three days and is not back until friday - i am too scared to do another pregnancy test and i dont know if i want a scan as I am not even six weeks - i just hope its not going wrong again - dont know what to do. 


xxx


----------



## Jeps (Jan 9, 2006)

Hello
I'm at the ACU too, and have found everyone absolutely lovely. We were at the ARGC for a short time but moved to the ACU and have found them so much better, friendly and caring.  Have had 3 iui treatments but all failed so am about to start ivf, taking Primolut from Saturday and then sniffing from next week.  Having my dummy ET today and HYCOSY.  Good to see so many of you at the ACU and having a good experience with them.


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Lucie,

Try not to worry, I know thats easier said than done and its easy for me to say that as i have not been through anything like you have been through. Could you not ring UCH and speak to one of the nurses just to put your mind at ease. Sending you a big  . I'm off work today so i will be popping in and out, I don't know about you but i find this site quite addictive.

Hi Jeps, just wanted to say hello. I think both of us are going to be quite close on the IVF run. I will be starting my Primolut a week today and then sniffing a week after that.
Good luck with the hycosy and dummy run. Keep intouch.

Meg, hope you had a nice weekend and you are not getting too impatient to test.

Loubie, how was dinner? When do you have to go in hospital?

Hi to everyone else, hope everyone is ok and still  

Love
Angel wings
xxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hello Jeps and welcome aboard the UCH thread. You are the first case I have read of of someone *defecting* from ARGC to UCH ....! I sometimes snoop on the ARGC threads and they seem to be fiercely loyal of their clinic. Still, it's great to see that you have joined us and I'm really happy that your experiences with UCH have been positive so far. Good luck   with your treatment.

Angel Wings: great to hear that you had such a nice Bank Holiday weekend. How do you find juggling working with kids with TTC? I imagine it's quite hard?

Lucie Loo: what I will say is keep an eye on any spotting, and in the meantime try to stay calm and positive. It is totally understandable why you feel so anxious -- any of us would feel the same as you. It may well just be a little one-off, and then it will stop. Let's hope so. But if it looks as though it is persisting then phone the clinic straight away. And know that if you want to you can go to your Early Pregnancy Unit at your local hospital and get a scan if you feel you want one -- you can make a case on the strength of your history of miscarriages. Your GP may have to fax them first, but it's an option. Fingers crossed and all will be well   Oh, and one last thing, don't overdo it workwise ....  

love

Jaffa
xx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

hi everyone...how was the bank holiday?

lucie -   thinking of you. Try not to get too stressed, easy for me to say...thinking of you!

Jaffa, wow you're whizzing along, things seem to move so quickly! I have to say I can't keep up with everyone, I still haven't got to grips with all the terminology and abbreviations.... 

angel wings, my dinner was fantastic, scallops and monkfish and lemongrass brulee....it was divine! All washed down with a couple of glasses of vino. My idea of heaven! My not drinking has kind of gone out of the window for the moment, not that I drink a lot but when you can't it feels like I'm depriving myself! I go into hospital on the 18th so just in limbo at the moment which is quite nice as I don't have to think to much about it all!

Fishwonder, congratulations!!! It must be the best feeling in the world....

hello to everyone I may have missed...hope you're all well....

enjoy the rest of your day 

lots of love 

loubie xxx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi girls

thanks for your messages.  i plucked up the courage to do another test and it came up really quickly and nice and strong.  i know i shouldnt read into this too much but i wanted to see if it was fainter but it wasnt.  no more spotting since that first bit this morning but i have a few twinges in my tummy, just trying to tak it easy.  this baby malarky is a nightmare!! i want to wake up in nine months time and it all be ok.

loubie your meal sounds lush by the way!!

xxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Lucie,

Thats good news , i'm glad the spotting has stopped, just try and take it easy.

Loubie, your dinner sounded yummy. After you have been in hospital, how long do you have to wait before starting treatment? Will it be IVF you will be having?

Jaffa, Funnily enough everyone thinks it must be quite hard working with little ones but it isn't. What I do find hard is when friends/family tell you that they are pregnant, then I feel really jealous and "it's not fair attitude", especially as recently I have had 2 friends and one of my sister-in-law all have babies but I try not to think like that, hopefully one day it will be all of our turns. Thats what I like about this link everyone knows what the other person is going through.

Anyway heres a showering of   for everyone.

Love

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## Spanners (Apr 2, 2006)

Hi Everyone,

Must get better at logging into this more often as it takes me ages to catch up each time!!  Been away for the Bank hol so no computer and I've itching to get the news when I got back.

Fishwander - great news that your Blastos have done the business, hope you're feeling good!  

Meg, nearly there - only a couple of days to go and Jaffa - good news about the follies and your beautiful womb lining!!

Its day 2 of my sniffs - can't wait till next week (ish) for my Dilapan procedure as that was my most hated bit of my last cycle but at least this time forewarned is forearmed and I'll remember to dose up on paracetamol beforehand.  Having a mopey day today so reading everyones posts has helped cheer me up especially as everyone is doing so well.

Catwoman, I think you were only 2 days after me starting Primolut so we'll prob be falling over each other at ACU in a couple of weeks. Must be sniffing tomorrow!!

Good luck Loubie with the op. Lucie - hope you're relaxed again and taking it easy after your scare.

Hi to Jeps, Zora and Saffire, Cleocat - how are things with you aaargh I've completely lost the thread of whos who, I promise to log in more often so I might stand a chance of knowing whats going on.

Keep smiling everyone - thanks for cheering me up - better go and apologise to my DH now for being a miserable cow.

Bye for now,  Spanners xx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Meg,

Just wanted to wish you lots of luck for tomorrow.  

Love

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## Jeps (Jan 9, 2006)

Hello
Sorry girls not been on here for a couple of days, thanks for the nice welcome!  I've just popped a post on the site asking about the dilapan, I'm absolutley terrified about it because i think the pain I had during the hycosy will be the same pain but longer for the dilapan, so if anyone has had it and has a better story to tell, please tell it!
Starting the primolut tablets on Saturday so will be quite close to your cycle angle wings.
Speak soon
Jxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hiya Jeps, I looked out for your post about Dilapan and didn't see it, so thought I would answer directly here. You mention that your Hycosy was painful -- was your dummy embryo transfer painful too? I ask because it is likely that you have got a tight or firm cervix, and they've recommended Dilapan to soften it up. I myself have a tight cervix plus a tilting womb, which made the dummy ET difficult (and painful), so I had to have Dilapan. For some reason I got myself worked up about it too (perhaps because it is described in the literature as a 'rod'?) As you probably know it's a little stick made out of seaweed (as I said to the nurse: 'Seaweed? As in sushi?!) that they put into the cervix to make it soft and pliable. This will allow for a smooth and painfree ET, which is what you need at such a critical time. As a matter of fact I found the Dilapan fine. It is a little bit uncomfortable as you do feel it expanding inside you, but it really isn't agonising pain by any means. In fact, I was pleasantly surprised in the end by how straightforward it was. I found the speculum bit the worst -- I hate those bloody things. Hope this helps to put you at ease a bit.

Spanners -- I see you will be having the Dilapan too? How is it going on the sniffing drugs? Hope the foggy head isn't getting you down. I hated down-regging. Couldn't concentrate and was a bad-tempered old hag.  

Lucie -- how have you been today? Hope the spotting has stopped and you are feeling much calmer, and that DH will be back from Monte Carlo before too long. By the way, that is a very glamorous destination -- does he go there often?  

Loubie -- how you doing out there in limbo-land? Chilling nicely, I hope, and looking forward to the 18th.

Fishwonder -- still enjoying the success of your  And any word on whether it's a singleton or multiples yet?  

Meggy -- you've been quiet since you tootled off to the Cotswolds. Hope you had a gorgeous time and that the 2ww hasn't been too tough --    to you ... look forward to hearing from you soon   

Hi there Angel Wings -- not long to go before the Primulot now. Once you reach that stage it will feel like a real 

Catwoman, Cleocat and Saffire --   and where are you  

Well, gang, today was my final scan. All looks fine, though I'm not going to be complacent as at EC last time there were a number of empty follicles and my embryos weren't much cop.   I hope I'll do better this time, though of course with GIFT they just put the sperm straight back into the tube, and whatever eggs are left over go into the dish to develop as with IVF. Dr Iffat said today that if I am lucky there might be something left to freeze .... hope so.  

Me and DH are booked into a hotel tomorrow night and I will be in theatre by 8 am Friday. Staying in London 2 nights as it's a general anaesthetic and laparoscopy and I didn't fancy hopping straight onto the train back to Cambridge feeling woozy and sore. Please keep your fingers crossed for me, friends.

Lots of love,



Jaffa
xxx


----------



## Jeps (Jan 9, 2006)

Hi Jaffa
Thank you so much for replying you have made me feel soooo much better. And yes my cervix is tight hence the seaweed stick haha.  The dummy ET was also a bit painful but the worst pain came during the hycosy.  Anyway, thanks for the post it has helped me no end.
Will post properly tomorrow, am off to bed now.
Jxxxx


----------



## Catwoman (Apr 19, 2005)

So much has happened here - this board moves really fast!

Fishwonder - fantastic news! Really thrilled for you...   and that sounds like a brilliant HCG result!  
Lucie - I'm sure everything is absolutely fine, but sending a stack of            to you anyway!

Jaffa - oooooooh... tons of luck for Friday. Really rooting for you. Here's a stack of           winging their way to you, too.

Spanners - I'm right behind you! You're right, I started downregging today (back on the psycho-sniffy drugs, oh joy). Here's to a brilliant outcome for both of us! 

Meg - best of luck for testing! Thinking of you  

Welcome to Jeps, and big hellos to Cleocat, Angel Wings, Loubie, Saffire and anyone I've forgotten...

All fine in Catwoman land. Think we're going to have to give in over the HIV testing *sigh*. Jaffa - think it was you who asked me why I was taking Menogon? It was just because I had 11 ampoules left over from my last IVF and I wanted to use them up!   

Love to all and lots of luck Jaffa and Meg in particular.
Claire xxx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi everyone

WOW - so many of us on this thread now its great to hear everyone's news and whats been going on.

Meg - I am wishing you all the luck in the world and fingers crossed its a good result.

Jaffa - how you are?  It's all going so well for you and what a great response and cycle you are having - I know i shoudnt say it but...i have a feeling in my bones this will be your time.  good luck tomorrow and sending lots of positive vibes for you xxx

angel wings - thanks for your messages earlier this week - it has been a bit difficult but I have surprised myself but remaining relatively calm and my friends have really helped.  my two closest friends have been playing good cop bad cop with me - depending on whether I want comfort or a 'right sorting out' depends on who i phone.  good luck with the primulet - sorry for my ignorance but is that the same as menopur?

Loubie - how you feeling?  have you a start date yet for your treatment?

Fishwander - hope you are ok and enjoying everything.  

claire/spanners -  good luck with the down regging - are you doing the sniffy drugs (as I call them!)  shame about the HIV testing clare but needs must I suppose - at least you tried.  If you dont ask you dont get as they say !

Hi Jeps - nice to see you have joined our thread.  Good luck with your treatment.

I am doing ok at the moment, just trying to keep myself busy until our scan on monday - i just dont know what the outcome is going to  be - hopefully a good one, but we will see.  hubby is away as you know (jaffa - he doesnt normally go to such exotic places but it is an achievers award conference so basically a jolly - lucky sod) so i am enjoying a great nights sleep stretching out and loving it being a 'no snoring zone'.  

well back to work I suppose.........speak soon everyone xxxxxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Everyone, our little family is growing by the day.

Jaffa, just want to say lots of luck for tomorrow and we'll all be thinking of you.

Lucie, keep thinking   , not too long unti DH is back. Primulot are the tablets you have to take aweek before you start sniffing. Not long before I start, can't wait.

Jeps, keep popping in  and let me know how you are getting on, i'm dreading the sniffing stage because of the headaches. Did many of you girls get headaches and what other side effects are there?

Hi to all you other girlies. catch you all later.

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

hi everyone, hope you're all enjoying this amazing sunshine....what a glorious two days it's been!

l've now had to change my appt to the 8th june as AF was due on the 18th and then Saridogan is away after that...arrgh!!! It feels like I'll never be where you girls are...still I have to just wait - that's what all this is about isn't it - waiting and trying not to stress.

jaffa - hope everything went ok today, think of you... 

angel wings, Mr Saridogan said it would be about 4 weeks after the op I can start treatment and yes it's ivf....I got as far as having the ultrasound and then that's when they found out that my tubes had to go....

hiya to catwoman, jeps, spanners, meg and everyone else...have a fantastic weekend everyone and take it easy....

lots of love to you all...

xx


----------



## Fishwonder (Apr 6, 2006)

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for all your kind messages and words. I hope you are all doing ok at your various stages.

I'm doing ok, no major symptoms yet (so I share that with you Lucie) except being constantly hungry!!! No idea if its a single or multiple, all I know is I have now got a huge stomach and look about 3 1/2 months pregnant already !! I've been putting that down to the cyclogest but we'll see... Lucie - what's your stomach doing ??

Anyway good luck to you all and best wishes for a good result !!

Take it easy.


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hi Everyone,

Just thought I would let you all know that things have not worked out for us this time. We went for our follow up appointment and Mr Ranieri said that as my egg reserve is so low and the quality is not good either he has suggested we try one more time before moving on to maybe an egg donor. This has been extremely hard to accept but I am glad he has been realistic with us. A 15% chance isn't great and that is only if i produce more than 5 follies next time.

I want to thank everyone for their messages and words of much appreciated encouragement. I am probably going to lie low for a while as we are not going to start the next protocol until the end of term (July) as I have had so much time off already and feel I need to give our last chance 100%.

Wishing all you lovely ladies lots of luck. I know i will be keeping a track on how eveyone is doing. 

Jaffa - I have been thinking of you today, I really hope everthing went well. 

Love Meg
x


----------



## Jeps (Jan 9, 2006)

Oh meg I'm so sorry for you, that's really sad news.  Just to say I'm thinking of you!
Jxxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Meg,

Just want to say I'm so sorry that things didn't work out for you and I'm thinking of you.

Love
Angel wings
xxx


----------



## Catwoman (Apr 19, 2005)

Dear Meg,
I'm so, so sorry   Keeping everything crossed that the next one will work out for you  
Lots of love,
Claire xx


----------



## Jeps (Jan 9, 2006)

How annoying, was half way through writing something and I lost it!  What I was saying was that I've finally started on the primolut tablets today so feel like things are starting to happen.  Will be sniffing from next week, what's all this about headaches though? Eeek didn't know about that, in fact have tried not to look at all the side effects as they are all so scary! 
I never replied to Jaffa about your question of me coming over from the argc, shocking I know, but without going into detail I left there in tears 4 times so decided enough was enough.  ACU are soooo much better and friendlier and good stats too.  The dreaded dilapan is looming in the next 2 weeks, am dreading it but am being given voltorol which I've heard is pretty strong so fingers crossed.
On the money front, crikey!  The bills just keep on coming in don't they?  Just had another one for £500 just for the Hycosy, dummy ET and a couple of swabs.  Thanks for the post about getting drugs from a chemist though, I had no idea I could do that so will price that up instead as just the injections are going to cost us nearly £700!!!  Anh other cost saving tips greatly appreciated.
Anyway, that's all from me .. hope you're all keeping as well as can be expected.  Love to Meg again and good luck everyone else.


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Girls,

Just been doing some research on this site for drugs companies, as i don't want to get them from UCH but I have just been looking at the  IVF/GiFT schedule they give you and according to this I will start Primolut (Tues ), a week later the nasal spray and then go for a scan day 1 to 3 of next period and start injecting on day 3. My question is if I'm not going back to UCH until then, will that be enough time for me to look around elsewhere for drugs. I am just thinking that if I end up going for a scan on day 3 because it fell on a monday (as I know they don't like to scan on a weekend) I am going to be stuck getting them from UCH unless I just get acouple of days worth.

Do you know if you can get your prescription earlier or do they want to scan you first? Jep is this the case with you or do you know already what you will be stimming on?

Sorry for all the questions, just want to be prepared and not panicking at the last minute.

Jaffa, hope everything went well and you are not feeling too sore.

Lucie, wishing you lots of luck for Monday, I'm sure everything is fine.

Fishwander, maybe your'e eating for three 

Catwoman, where about are you in the treatment? sorry I can't keep up with everyone.

Well girls, hope you all had a fab weekend, shame about the  , always on a weekend.

Love

Angel wings
xxxx


----------



## Spanners (Apr 2, 2006)

Hi Everyone,

Jeps I'm really sorry if I scared you with my moaning about the Dilapan thingy. I'm such a wuss. Jaffa talks sense (as usual!) it is basically the same as the dummy ET but I suffered afterwards with cramps similar to bad period pains and wasn't really prepared for that (plus I wasn't at home able to curl up and go to sleep which is usually my cure for cramps)- I also wasn't offered voltarol until after the procedure so its good that you know to take it as its good stuff and did the trick once it kicked in!!
As for sniffing I can give you some reassurance on that too as I've not noticed a problem with headaches or anything else for that matter other than tiredness and occasional grouchiness which may or may not be the drugs.  Good luck with the Primolut and everything from there on.

Catwoman - how are the sniffs going for you? I've finished Prims now so am waiting for you-know-what to determine all my dates from here. I'm usually a clockwork girl so fingers crossed I'll be starting injections Thurs or Fri as I have to have the Dilapan around Day 4 which means I think starting the injections a day later than I would without Dilapan.

Angel Wings - if you know already what drug regime you're on for stimming the unit will possibly post out your prescription so that you can organise the drugs in plenty of time.  Even if you don't know the exact number of Menopur you'll need until you start we were advised by one of the nurses to buy the minimum predicted and top up if necessary from UCH - it worked for us as we only needed 2 extra which saved us a packet compared with buying them all from UCH. Ask the nurses what they suggest, they're usually very helpful with questions like that.

Jaffa - hope everything went well for you yesterday and that your every whim is being attended to while you're recovering.

Meg - am thinking of you. We'll all be rooting for you in July.

Lucie, lots of luck for Monday!

Fishwonder, Loubie - good luck too!

Take care, Spanners xx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi everyone

Firstly Meg - I was sorry to read your news.  Its such a blow and immense disappointment when things dont happen the way you want them too.  I understand how you feel.  To get me through the tough times of disappointment I also repeat a little mantra - I will have a family, I will have a family!!!

I do believe that, maybe it wont happen now, but I am determined enough to make it happen one way or another.  Good luck for July and we are all here for you whenever you feel ready.

Jaffa - how did it go on Friday - hope you are feeling your usual chipper self.

Fishwander - dont fret about the no major symptoms thing (easier said than done).  I had nothing for ages and in the last few days I have had uncontrolable hunger and a bit of nausea and wretching (sorry tmi!)  As you know I have my scan tomorrow which I am dreading but what will be wil be

Angel wings - thanks for your message!  Lets hope you are right x

Spanners, Catwoman, Jeps - glad to hear your treament is progressing - I must admit being a first time IVF'er I am not up to speed with all the other kinds of treatments you are having so am reading it anyway but sorry if I dont have much input for you

Loubie - shame about your appoint date being moved.  I know it must seem like a lifetime and you are quite normal to feel frustrated i would too - but keep yourself busy and 8th june will be here soon - I bet we all feel like wishing the months away sometimes - take care though xx

hopefully I will post tomorrow with some good news.  take care ladies xxx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

Hi everyone,

Meg - so sorry to hear your news....lots of hugs to you  

Lucie, hope everything went ok at your scan today, thinking of you.

Jaffa, hope you're feeling ok and that all went well on Friday....

everyone else - hello, hope you're all doing well...what a miserable old day it's been...am wishing away the hours til I can get home and get my pj's on!!


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi everyone

hope you are all ok - rainy ole monday but might try my luck on this new monday lottery...

anyway, after more spotting yesterday   (and having to leave a friends bbq - how embaressing) i had my scan and thankfully it was really good.  I saw the baby and the heart was beating away quickly and they measured me at 7weeks and 1 day (hope my news doesnt upset anyone but i wanted to let you know)  -  fingers crossed for my next scan in two weeks. i am not getting my hopes up as i have seen a heartbeat before on a scan and it still went wrong but we can only hope.

speak soon ladies xxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Lucie, thats wonderful news, I'm really happy for you.  

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## AnonymousAgain (Jul 14, 2005)

Hi all

First off - congrats Fishwonder! Bet you're beside yourself! Can't wait to see if it's twins (or more!).

Second - sending hugs and stuff to Meg - so sorry it hasn't worked for you this time. Keep yourself well ready for whenever you decide to carry on with treatment.  .

Hope everyone else is doing ok whatever stage you're all at. I've been quite introspective lately - this may well be our last 'go', and the whole thing is affecting me more than I thought it would. I'm not used to this different type of cycle, with the pill, then the double-strength sniffing and the Menopur. Went for my day 4 injections E2 today, and apparently it's a bit lower than they'd like at 170something, so they've told me to up the dose to 225iu for the next two days and stop sniffing altogether, until we see what's going on on the scan on Wednesday. I'm actually quite upset by it, as I've responded quite well previously using Gonal-F, and I can't help wondering if the sniffing so much i.e. 4 times a day, rather than the 2 I was on before, has suppressed me too much. Am also wondering if the Menopur really suits me. Am a bit down now and panicking that if they keep me off the Suprefact I might ovulate too early. Has anyone else experienced this before - are they going to put me back on the sniffing in a few days do you think? 

I'm also struggling a bit with the injections - I'm used to the pre-filled Gonal-F pen, and I keep wondering whether I'm managing to get all the fluid into the syringe ok, as usually I end up with a bit less than 1ml in the final syringe. I know the meds account for that somewhat in the measurements, but all the same, I find it a bit difficult doing the drawing up etc., and then I find the syringe quite stiff to plunge after I've stabbed myself!

I should stop moaning really I know, but I'm just finding things a bit hard at the moment. Sorry for being a whinge pot!

Cleocat


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Cleocat,

Sorry to hear your your feeling abit down. I'm afraid i can't offer much advice as I'm not at that stage yet, I only start Primulut tomorrow but I do know in regards to the injections that you are right in saying they give you more than enough, so I would not worry too much about the 1ml, as i remember asking about that last year when I was with another clinic.

I would give UCH a call in the morning and put your mind at rest. Sending you lots of   and a  .

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

Hi Cleocat

try not to worry too much.  i was in a similar situation and they thought I had been supressed too much but i stopped the sniffing and they upped my menopur and in a matter of three or four days i was up to speed and the same will happen to you.  the acu know what they are doing, but angel wings is right call the nurses and express your concerns and they will help you through it.  I am sure it will be fine.  try not to read too much into what drugs your taking and comparing it to last time,  this is a new cycle in every way.

good luck and I am sure it will be fine for you xxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Dear Friends

I am so happy to be back here 

I have had a tough week. GIFT was cancelled on Friday due to scarring in my pelvis, so I was switched to IVF at the eleventh hour. Was a bit disconcerting, really, as I had my hopes up but circumstances worked against me. Me and DH were booked into a hotel, as we thought I'd be recovering from the procedure, so we decided to stay anyway as it was a lastminute booking and we couldn't cancel. Got 10 eggs, 3 immature, 2 didn't survive ICSI. By day 3 I was told that the same thing had happened as last time -- slow division and quite small embies. A grade 2 6-cell was replaced and a grade 1 4-cell. They said they like the embryos to be at least 8-cell. I've been so sad, but all the people who dealt with  me were exceptionally kind: Caitlin, Michelle, Dr Iffat, Mr Serhal. It's almost a carbon copy result of last time, however, which failed. I'm trying hard to be positive though, and am really glad to be back here to receive your warmth and support. Anyway, enough about me, how about some personals:

Meg: hope you are still checking here -- i'm so, so sorry to read about your disappointment. But remember Mr Ranieri has not written you off yet. It's great that they've offered you the chance to have another go, and they might even be able to tweak the protocol so it's more suitable for you. July will come around before you know it, and you'll have the lovely summer holiday to look forward to while having your treatment. It will take a lot of stress off. Big hugs.

Lucie Loo: 'Congratulations' on your symptoms (hope you're not feeling too grotty!) and of course on your wonderful scan. How exciting to see the little beating heart -- you are an example to me in your steadfast and calm approach! Look forward to hearing that the next scan is just as good. 

Fishwonder: any news from you, and are you still managing to keep the symptoms at bay? Hope you're feeling well.

Spanners: hiya, you sound as though you have been doing really well on your sniffing drugs -- nice to read that you've had no  major side-effects. I guess you'll be raring to go with the injections, now. It starts to feel as though things are 'really' happening when you reach that stage.

Jeps: are you done with the Primulot now? And have you succumbed to the nasty (sushi) Dilapan yet?! Sorry to hear that you felt compelled to leave ARGC, though of course I'm thrilled that you're  here with us and that you feel happier now. I must confess that when I look at their threads the ARGC gang seem to go on as if it is the most amazing place ever -- what I do know is that an IVF cycle there costs as much as 4K more than at UCH, as you have to go for blood tests twice a day! That simply wouldn't be practical for me, and sounds quite stressful. By the way, what is the Voltarol for? I had that after my embryo transfer, and it gave me a bit of a nasty tum .... 

Cleocat: hope you've managed to sort out the things that were bothering you and that you are a bit more reassured now. I was a bit sceptical about trying Menopur this time around but I got a better result on it than with the Menogon. And Lucie's absolutely right: there's still plenty of time for them to turn things around, and they monitor things closely so there is still time for this to work out. Good luck x

Angel Wings: I guess you must have started your Promulot now? Yeah, you're on your way!   Hope also that you got the matter of the prescription sorted out and that you've been shopping around for some reasonable prices. I've always found the Unit to be very flexible in these matters, and if it works out that you have to buy one or two ampoules off them, then hopefully it won't break the bank!

Loubie: very sorry to hear that the date for your procedure has been put back. It's so bloody frustrating. Nothing ever seems to happen at the 'right' time during this TTC malarkey, especially when you have to juggle things with work and other commitments. Anyway, I'm sure we can help you get through the next month a bit more easily 

Saffire  and Catwoman -- how are you? Trust everything is going nicely and smoothly for you. You always seem to exude such confidence in your messages! Good luck to you both.

Well, that's probably enough from me now. I've been thinking of doing an online 2-ww diary but I'm not sure I should -- I just don't feel positive enough at the moment, and I don't want to be a whiner. Strange thing is that I have already gone back to normal -- tummy pretty flat and feeling as though all the poking and prodding of the last week was a wierd dream. Last time I felt really bloated until about day 7 post transfer. Could just be that I took arnica this time, which is supposed to help healing. 

Anyway, off to try and conjure uo some  thoughts. Again, it's good to be back.
love

Jaffa
xxx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hi Jaffa

It was so good to hear from you as I have been wondering where you are and how you are.

Sounds as though you have been through the mill the last few days but still great to hear you have two lovely embryos on board - try not to focus on what stage they are at.  I have read other peoples posts where they have had only one embryo put back at your stage and gone on to have a baby.    As for your tummy being flat mine was the same after a couple of days.  I really hope this works for you Jaffa.  Even though there are lots of similarites to last time this is a new time and new things can happen.  

I wish you all the best for your two week wait and keep in touch as much as possible.  I have another scan in two weeks time and providing that is OK I think I will become a lurker on our little thread as I dont want to upset anyone or be insensitve at all to everyone that is still going through their cycles.

Hi to everyone else - I was at the acu again today for a blood test to check it was ok to still take heparin - how hot is that waiting room downstairs (well corridor!!)

take care everyone xxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Jaffa, 

Sorry to hear you've had abit of a bad time last week and hope you are feeling alot better, keep thinking those   thoughts. It's really nice to hear from you, I think we all have missed you.

Lucie, it's good to hear everything is ok, don't disappear just yet.

Jeps, How's things going? When do you start sniffing?

Cleocat, Did yoy ring UCH and speak to the nurses.

How is everyone else doing?

As for me I started the Primulot on Tuesday and start sniffing next tues. I spoke to one of the nurses today and she is going to send me my prescription so I can start shopping around, though I think I will try Rigcharm first. I'm going to be on 4 ampoules of Menopur to start off with. Are there other drugs that you have to take apart from the stimmers?

Byeeeeee for now.

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## Jeps (Jan 9, 2006)

Hi everyone, sorry been off here for a few days so trying to catch up with everyone's news.  

Lucie - great news on the scan, I'm so excited for you and gives us all hope.

Cleocat, just read your post about the menopur, that's what I'm going to be taking and I didn't realise it wasn't a self injector pen! Nightmare, but I wouldn't worry about drawing up the injection, my mum's a nurse and she says it's almost impossible to get all of it all of the time.

Angel Wings - I think we must be at about the same stage, I start to sniff on Saturday and have been in Primolut for about a week.

Hi Jaffa and Spanners - to answer your questions yes still on Primolut and no the dreaded dilapan hasn't happened yet (eeeek) but thanks for everyone's calming words, I'm not so nervous now!  The voltarol is quite a strong drug that I'm going to take about half an hour before the procedure so hopefully it won't hurt as much.

Meg - hope you're feeling better and more positive about the next step.

Sorry for  not mentioning everyone, it's getting hard to keep up with so many of us on here!!

Quick question, did anyone else get really sore boobs on the primolut?  Mine are killing me and are slightly bigger too (not complaining there)!  I can only put it down to that drug.

Anyway - love to everyone and keep positive (have just ordered 'Prepare to Conceive' CD that according to a magazine increases success of IVF by 50%!!! Hmmm we'll see).
Jxxxxxx


----------



## Catwoman (Apr 19, 2005)

Hello chaps!
Jaffa – I'm really sorry that things haven't gone the way you hoped, but you still have two good embies inside you… I've heard of sooooooo many women on this board getting pregnant from a six-cell embie, even from grade 3 ones. Please don't give up hope – just because this cycle has followed a similar pattern to the last one doesn't mean the outcome will be the same. Your embies are back inside you, the best place for them, and who knows how well they may be thriving there? High quality, fast-dividng embies are no guarantee of a pregnancy. I made it to five-day blastocyst transfer and it didn't work for me; a friend had one day-three, grade-two, six-cell embie replaced, and she's now 30 weeks pregnant. Keeping everything crossed for you             
Meg – How are you? Hope you're feeling OK, or as OK as can be expected  
Lucie – Please, please don't think you have to go anywhere! You're certainly not upsetting me – on the contrary, your story is really inspiring. If this IVF doesn't work for us, Mr Ranieri has suggested PGS, and the idea really freaked me out – I thought it was last-resort, will-never-work-for-us stuff. Well, you're proof that it does work – and it's lovely to have you around!
Cleocat   I'm so sorry you've been feeling down. It's a real rollercoaster, and it must be very unsettling to have these changes made to your protocol. I'm sure they know exactly what they're doing and that there's no danger of you ovulating before ec – I thought it could only happen once you had the HCG jab? (I could be wrong there, though). How did your scan go? I have been thinking of you and hoping you're feeling beter.
Jeps – I finished the Primolut on Sunday, and still waiting for AF to arrive! (No, I'm not preggers – I've tested to make sure. Not that I got my hopes up… there hadn't been any news reports of flying pigs, or weather forecasts of hell freezing over, after all). Has anyone else had a delay with AF after taking Primolut and while downregging?
Angelwings - sound's like your two weeks or so behind me! How's it going on the Primolut? And Spanners – I think you're a couple of days ahead of me, yes? So you must be injecting by now?

Big HELLO to everyone else... sorry I'm not very good at keeping up...

Not much to report here. Just wish AF would arrive (and it's not often you hear me say that!). I really, really want to have my scan tomorrow so I can get injecting at the weekend. If anyone can do an AF dance for me, I'd be most grateful!!!

Right, best get back to work.

Love to all,
Claire xxxxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Big thanks Catwoman:   your post has reassured me a lot. I spent quite a lot of yesterday and today looking for examples of BFPs with 6-cell, day 3 transfers, and you are right there are a few of them out there. I even found one example of a 4-cell day 3 transfer leading to a BFP, so I will certainly keep positive. Anyway, to say thanks, here's a little AF dance for you (and yes, if she's late, then it'll be the sniffing drugs that are to blame I'm afraid. If she doesn't show, then acupuncture can bring it on):

                            

Lucie: thanks for your kinds words, you are a sweetheart, and please don't think for a moment that you would not be welcome on this board for much longer. I for one would love it if you stuck around. Claire is right -- you are an inspiration to us  

Hi   big hugs to you, hope your prescription has arrived now and that you are bracing yourself for the sniffing.

Loubie, Meg, Cleocat, Jeps, Spanners, Fishwonder (is that everybody?) -- hope you're all feeling  chilled on this lovely day. Yes, the sun is even managing to squeeze out a few feeble rays here in East Anglia. My little cat is loving it -- soaking up the sunshine and toasting his tummy.

Love

Jaffa
xx


----------



## HollyB (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi girls,

I am looking for some help. I recently had a consultation at UCH as was told that my first step ought to be a test to determine my ovarian reserve and my response to stim drugs. At the consultation I am sure the consultant mentioned blood tests on day 1 of my cycle and then taking dosage of drugs with a further blood test/scan on day 4 of my cycle.

I have just called the clinic as I started spotting today and think tomorrow will be day 1. The lady on the phone has booked me in for a scan on Sunday (day 3) and says I will need another on day 4 - but nothing to do with any drugs in between. When I mentioned this she didn't seem to know anything about it. 

Can anyone shed any light on this? Have I got the complete wrong end of the stick here.

Any help appreciated!!

Thanks,

Holly


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi Holly

I think I understand what you describe: the first test is called the Ovarian Stress Test, where they check your ovarian reserve. However, this is usually done on day 3 or 4 of your cycle. As far as I know, they give you a one of shot of drugs, but that's it. It may be, of course, that you are on a different protocol to the one I was on.

Welcome here, anyway. I think it is yourself who had a  from a day-3 4-cell embryo, is that correct? If so, I have taken great comfort from your story, as I have recently had the same thing myself and have been very worried (see my long posting above).

I see also that you have come from ARGC -- so has Jeps who is also on this thread. Hope you'll be happy at UCH. If there's anything else you'd like to know, please ask. I'm on the 2-ww right now and have lots of time on my hands! Going mad.

Love

Jaffa
x


----------



## AnonymousAgain (Jul 14, 2005)

Hello everybody

Just wanted to pop in and say a few quick words - don't get to log on that often!

AngelWings, Lucie, Jaffa - I did speak to a nurse and she said that I won't be using the Suprefact at all anymore - just the injections now. (A bit irritating as I have a full bottle of unopened Suprefact that I  had to pay for and can't take back - damn!) I think I find it a bit odd because I was always told by my previous clinic (John Radcliffe, Oxford) that they keep you sniffing so that you don't ovulate too early! I mentioned this to the nurse and that I'd be panicking and she said that if I liked I could have an early LH test on the Friday (tomorrow), as well as on the Monday, just to put my mind at rest. Apparently they do the LH blood test so that they can be sure you're not too close to ovulation - if it's looking like you are then they sometimes bring the e/c forward, or give you less HCG. Anyhow, that has helped somewhat, so I'll be reminding them when I go in the morning!

I also had a scan on Wednesday, and given it's only been 5 days of stimms I had 8 obvious follicles in total. They didn't seem to think this was as much as they'd like to see so have upped my dose now to 5 ampoules - this is getting very expensive! My E2 on Wednesday had increased to 680something, which was still a bit lower than they wanted apparently. I do find it all completely different, as on my previous cycle my E2 levels were similar and Oxford seemed to think this was all normal! Only thing I can think of is that UCH have completely different criteria in terms of what they consider optimal - given the better success rates I'm sure they're right! However, I'm still a bit anxious until my scan tomorrow - hopefully we'll see some more follies there - I usually tend to get about 9 or 10 eggs in total, so I think they're probably trying to increase this somewhat.

Jeps - re the lack of injector pen, yes, it was a bit of a shocker when the nurse took the first needle out of the wrapper and it was several inches long - until she explained that that was just used to draw up the fluid and dissolve the powders, and that you changed it to a 'diddy' version before sticking yourself! It took some getting used to, and I still manage to get loads of air in regardless! Also, I think I've got that CD you mentioned - does it have an orange coloured cover, and is part of the Natal Hypnotherapy range by Maggie Howell? I used it on my first cycle, but not on my second. I've just started to use it again today, and will do every day until e/c now. You never know!

Claire - thanks for the hugs! I do feel a bit better today. I keep trying to get in the frame of mind that what'll be will be and nothing else I can do can change that - it does help. I'm trying to be both optimistic and philosophical about it. DP and I have each other and I don't know where I'd be without him so we just have to soldier on and deal with life. Well, that's today's strategy anyway!

Welcome to Holly too - sorry, can't help with your query though as I didn't need to do an OST. Hope you've managed to get some answers in the meantime.

OK, it's 1845 and I'm ready to feed my face - will try and update over the weekend.

Ta ra
Cleocat


----------



## HollyB (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi Jaffa,

Thank you for your quick response and welcome. I did indeed have a BFP from a day 3, 4-cell embryo. I was at Guys at the time and they didn't monitor anything that closely - including the embryo's. So when I turned up on the Monday morning for ET - out of my 3 fertilised embryos I only had the one little 4-cell, and they couldn't tell whether it had already arrested or whether it was just terribly slow dividing. I really didn't hold out any hope - but that's her photo on the left. She'll be 3 in July. I've had much better embryo's since but no BFP - so you just can never tell. I wish you all the best during the tortuous 2WW. Reading your profile you have certainly been through the mill. I hope I will be reading your BFP story here in a couple of weeks time.

Holly


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Holly B,

Just want to say hello and welcome to the UCH possy, there are quite afew of us around. Don't worry about the OST test, it's very simple on Day 3 you go for a scan & blood test, they will also give you a one off injection and then you go back on Day 4 for your second blood test, they time it roughly 24 hours after the first one. 
I was then given an IVF schedule of what order things happen and they work out for when to start your drugs.
Hope this is of some help. The nurses are lovely so you are in safe hands.

 to everyone else, it's nearly the weekend  

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Morning Everyone!

I woke up at 5am this morning! Going out of my mind with *thinking* about everything! Anyway, I've taken a decision to try and get some of the mess in my head out into a 2-ww diary! Thought it might help me focus, offload, and stop my messages deteriorating into self-pitying me, me, me posts! At least this way you will have the choice of reading my delirious ramblings or not!

Anyway, it's looking like another lovely day outside today. Hope you're all feeling good, gang.

Lots of love

Jaff
xx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Jaffa,

Bloody hell, when you said you were awake at 5am, I thought you meant you were lazing away in bed but I've just noticed what time you posted.
Just wanted to say I've read your 2ww diary and cried but then   when i read that the   had sent you to coventry, however i think the mouse in your slipper was the ultimate revenge.
What you have written about your friends is so sad, life just does not seem fair sometimes but it does make  you put your own life into perspective.
I'm sure like lots of the other girls alot of what you have  written you can relate to yourself, I no I could. Little things like putting DH on a diet, force feeding him pills until he rattles, eating healthily yourself. I don't think ive ever eaten as healthly as Ive done now, I'm even drinking milk UGH, last time i drank milk on its own must have been out of those bottles you got in infants school with a straw.

Anyway must go for now. Take Care.

Angel wings
xx


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello people

hope you enjoyed the sunshine - there is something about weekends though - spot on five o'clock the rain clouds gather and the thunder starts!

Jaffa - You are my hero.  I have read your very eloquently written diary (perhaps you should become an author if and when your jobs falls through!!).  I knew your history and we have talked on this thread for some time but I never realised just what challenges you have had to face.  I have said a little prayer for you (never really had faith in god until IVF - strange what you believe in when it really matters) and am hoping your embies are going to make it.

Hello to Holly B - welcome !!!

How is everyone else?

Angel wings - hope the stimming is going ok - did you manage to get a good deal with menopur?  My local chemist was really sweet and gave them to me for £16 in the end

Cleocat - I had a full bottle of suprefact left too (one sniff less) annoying isnt it.  i also had concerns with ovulating too early but they are monitoring you closely so the chances of that happening are seriously slim

hello to everyone else - meg hope you are ok and moving on.  Loubie - how are you lady?

I am feeling OK, bit worried about the weight gain already, if I am honest I have been indulging myself more often than truly warranted - lets hope its all worth it otherwise I will be living on sunflower seeds and the occasional glass of water - whoopey do!  i have a scan on 23rd may so in theory i will be 9weeks.  symptom wise still not loads - had a bit of nausea but not for the last two days (mini freak out), boobs are a bit bigger but they have never once been sore, tired and spotty (I look very unattractive at the moment - its official)  Just very scared that we will get to the scan and once again no heartbeat but have to be positive and hope for the best (although I have to say the knicker checking has become a problem and I am a woman obsessed!)

Take care ladies

xxxx


----------



## Spanners (Apr 2, 2006)

Hi Girls,

Tried posting on Monday but the site crashed and I eventually gave up! Have spent all week virtually waiting for AF so that I can get started on the injections - I was even looking forward to the Dialpan - I must have been desperate. Anyway finally started on Thurs which means (typical) I now have to wait until Monday for the Dilapan and I seem to have been sniffing for ever. I've given up trying to do the mathematical gymnastics to work out when they'll do the EC - I guess I'll find out on Monday. Sometimes this process is so frustrating.

Anyway whinge over. Jaffa - I'm relieved to see you're back, I missed you last weekend! Hang in there, I know its so difficult to stay upbeat when you feel that things aren't working out but this is truly the best place to read inspiring stories about what can be. We're all willing you and embies to make it.

Catwoman - hope your wait for AF is over too. You've probably overtaken me now and started your injections already. Good luck if so - if you're in UCH on Monday I'll probably bump into you as I have to wait there about 4 hours with the Dilapan before going home if I remember rightly, this time I'll take a good book as I was bored silly last time and wasn't allowed to leave the unit (and the chairs aren't the most comfy!!)

Jeps / Angelwings - hope the sniffing is going well. I've had no side effects except tiredness so far. Hope you're OK too. Cleocat - are you nearly there now? Still stimming?

Lucie - stay with us please. Don't go on our account as we're all in the same boat and need to hear that you're doing well.

Meg, hope you're still with us and are feeling ok. Holly B, welcome to our thread, I'm sure the others have filled you in on the OST stuff but if you have any other questions about UCH or the treatments ask away as we're a mixed bunch of different stages and treatments.

Well, wish me luck for Monday (eek) I'm dying to get started.

Spanners xx


----------



## Jeps (Jan 9, 2006)

Hello everyone

Now news from me really other than I started sniffing today, but have just been reading all the posts I've missed and catching up with everyone's news.

Jaffa, I'm so sorry you're feeling so down and I know what that afwul 2ww is like, i really feel for you.  And you must take comfort in all the positive stories and realise that you still have a good chance. I've got everything crossed for you. Not read your diary yet but will do so after this.

Lucie, you must stay on this thread as you really are proof that all of this is worth it!  

Hello to Holly B, I'm an ex ARGC girl too. Not sure what your reasons for moving are but happy to tell you my not so nice experience over a private mail sometime! Can't put it on here as they will take it off.

Spanners - please let me know how the dilapan goes on Monday, as you know I'm dreading mine but not actually had one before so probably making a meal out of nothing.  

Catwoman - any sign of AF yet?

Cleocat, I know what you mean about the expense of it all, I've actually managed to get the menopur for £14 from my chemist and got the rest of the drugs from there too which has saved us a few hundres pounds.  

Hello Angle Wings, any news, how's the sniffing going?

Mu mum is coming to see me tomorrow, she's a nurse so is bringing some syringes for me to practice drawing up the fluid.  Well, it'll be water I draw up but I guess it'll be the same! Also DH is going to have a go, he's got a bit of a needle phobia but has offered to do my injections for me bless him, so he'll be practicing tomorrow too.

Anyway, lots of love to you all hello to everyone else and speak soon!
Jxxxxx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

hello everyone old and new!

Couldn't resist logging on quickly to find out how everyone was doing.

Firstly, I want to say a big thank you for all the little notes from everyone. It really does help you through this unbearable time and gives you the strenght to carry on. I would be lying if I said that I felt fine, I have probably had the worst 2 weeks ever!   The dissapointment of it not working combined with only having one more go with a 15% chance has been really hard to deal with. I have been so sad, one minute thinking I am in control to the next thinking I can't go on! Not ideal when I work with 48 children a day!

I have decided to have accupuncture, anything to help! I would be interested to know other people's opinions on this and if anyone thinks it really does help or improve the chances.

Just to add to the fun I had to go for another hycosy last week as on my last scan they thought they saw a polyp... and yes there is a polyp there. I am going to get it removed at the clinic before starting my next treatment. Has anyone had this op before? I would be grateful if anyone could tell me how grim/painful this is as I am worried about how long off work I will need and how I am going to feel.

Anyway  I am trying to stay positve although I am finding this so difficult. My family and friends have been amazing as has my DH, I am really very lucky on that front.

Jaffa- What a time you have had. I can't believe what you went through last week. It is so difficult when you have an idea of how things are going to pan out and when they don't go to plan it is so hard - but they are geniuses there and I'm sure they'll work their magic! I am really glad to hear that you have had 2 lovely follies put back in  and as you have read it can work out. I am rooting for you. 

Lucie- Brilliant news with your scan, please don't go anywhere!

Hello to angelwings, loubie, spanners, cleocat, jeps, hollyb, catwoman and anyone I have forgotten, sorry!

Love Meg
x


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Everybody!

Just thought I'd check in and see how my fellow UCHers are getting on. All good, I hope!

Angel Wings   (AKA 'Stimming Queen'   ). How are you getting on with all that milk? Hmmmm ... I'm not a big fan myself, but I drank it just the same. Lots hope it gives you protein for some nice juicy follies! 

Lucie Loo: thank you so much for the offer of a prayer ... I was honestly humbled ...   Don't feel too bad about the weight gain and pimples. I've got all that too (but then you should see the amount of chocolate I've been eating   ) Your scan day is on my test day so it will be a big day for us both.      

HollyB: hi there Holly, have you been for your OST yet? Hope it all goes/went well.  

Yo Spanners!: hmmmmm ... Monday is sushi Dilapan day, not fun   Trust the only discomfort you'll suffer is from pins and needles in your   from sitting down for so long. I suppose you could always mooch over to the cafe if you get bored? Or sit in the little park next door if the weather is nice? Anyway, just think, you'll be injecting before you know it and that's when time really flies .... wish I could be back at that stage again. Good luck  

Jeps (AKA 'Sniffing Queen'!  ) Good luck with the injection practice. I'm like you -- got DH to do it, though there were a couple of occasions when I had to jab myself -- just be sure to go for a nicely padded bit (fat gut for me, rather than thigh!)  

Cleocat: How did your last scan go? All well, I hope  

Meg: great to read you again ... so sorry the last 2 weeks have been so tough   Am glad to read though that you are ready to give it another go -- good on you, girl. I think you owe it to yourself to have another go, as you'd regret it if you didn't. I had acupuncture at a place on Harley Street -- sounds rather grand I know but they charge the going (London) rate and are recommended on these boards. Will happily supply some info if you like. They're a manageable hop from Gray's Inn Road. Bad news about the polyp.   I'm afraid I don't know what a polyp actually is, all I know is that you're probably pretty cheesed off at getting one. It's all such a pain in the  , isn't it? Oh, go on, have another   

Loubie:   

And last of all ....   Woman!! Has that bloody  shown her ugly face yet? Hope so, and that you are now gaily injecting your way to success!  

Hope that's everyone ... sorry if I missed anyone out  

lots of love

Jaff
xx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Everyone,

Hope everyone is enjoying what is left of the weekend, they go so quick. 

Nothing new to report, I start sniffing on tuesday. I just waiting for UCH to send me my prescription for my stimms which i thought I would have recieved by now. Does anyone know whether that includes all the other drugs they want you to take on top of that?

Meg, it's good to hear from you and sorry to hear you have a polyp. I'm not sure what op they do to remove that but I do know when i had my hycosy and they suspected I had a fibroid or polyp I had the hysteroscopy to determine which one it was. I had the fibroid and they removed it there and then, if it was a polyp, i'm not sure if they could have removed it there and then or whether I would have had to have a separate op . Not much help i know.
I have been having acupunture for several months now and really do think that it is beneficial. I initially started to have it for my periods as they were so heavey and very painful and because I knew it was supposed to help IVF (there have been several good reports on acupuncture when used with IVF in Germany, try a google search, thats what I did). 
Anyway getting back to my periods, they are not heavy anymore but they are still painful.
Overall I think as well as preparing your body for IVF I definently feel alot calmer in myself. i had a session the night before my hycosy & dummy run, on the morning I was strangely calm no butterflies, wierd I know.
try and get a recommendation off some if you can, Good Luck.

Jeps, good luck with the sniffing, I start on tuesday. Not far behind you.

Spanners, hope monday is not too horrible.

Lucie, I haven't actually started stimming yet, I wish I was that far along, got sniffing to get through yet but I have found someone who does menopur for £13.50, it's disgusting how UCH can charge £21. It's thanks to all of you girls that i knew I could shop around for them.
Happy to hear everything is going fine. Sending you more    

Jaffa, how's the diary going? Have you gone to 4hours aweek yet?

Loubie, hope everything is ok with you.

Hi to Cleocat, Fishwander and HollyB, sorry if I have missed anyone.

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Sorry It's me again,

Just a quick question, when are you supposed to start the 75mgs of aspirin? What do UCH recommend as I have read all different times on the aspirin link on this wesite.

Thanks

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

Afternoon everyone...

Just wanted to say hi - I'm still here....but just lurking at the mo as not much to report....had a pretty horrible weekend. Have got pmt and everything got on top of me. Was like a lunatic....crying one minute, screaming the next, poor DH got the brunt of it and I've really upset him now.....what a nightmare!!

Jaffa, sorry to hear your down....  here's a hug for you.

Lucie, good luck for the 23rd....it's so great that things are going well for you - you deserve it!!

Meg, sorry to hear it's not going so well....I'm not too sure about the procedure you have to have done to remove the polyp, thank goodness you have a good support network, it's so important to have friends and family to lean on....

angel wings, I agree about acupuncture, I go every couple of weeks and I feel so relaxed when I come out...and it lasts for a while as well - could have done with some this weekend!!!

Everyone else a big    and bye for now.

Take care all of you and look after yourselves

loubie xxxx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

^hello ....

Just thought I'd check in briefly to see how you are all doing. Nothing much doing with me, just waiting for time to fly.....polyp to be removed (what larks)....and the next stage to begin!

jaffa - jesus christ woman! I have been reading your diary and I know that nothing anyone says will make you feel any better but the truth is that everything you articulate is precisely what many of us on this site are going though. I know that should in some bizarre way make us feel better..or connected..or something, but I know the next few days for you are going to be hell. 

I'll say the same though: keep positive, stay sane ( if you can) and remember there is light at the end and one day let's hope we all get there.

You play such an important role on this site - you are always thoughtful and in tune with the feelings of lots of us (plus being v. witty - you bloody decent all rounder!) but remember that we are all rooting for you and we want to brighten your day too. 

Stay in touch over the next few days..thinking of you and keeping everything crossed. 

A big hello to everyone else......xx

Love Meg
x


----------



## HollyB (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi Girls,

Sorry for lack of personals - but I need some time to get to know you all.

Jaffa - I have just been reading your 2WW diary. You should publish it - it's truly amazing. You hit the nail so firmly on the head time after time. I laughed and I cried all that the same time. Keep it up, I can't wait for tomorrows installment.

I had my OST on Sunday and Monday. It's not looking great. Dr Raneiri said I was borderline at the scan as he could only see 4 follicles on each ovary - that is when he managed to locate the ovaries. The left one in particular is frequently MIA - or non-action more to the point. I have my follow-up on Thurs at 12 - so we'll see what the news is then.

Holly


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

How Do Everyone

Hope you're all well.

Just wanted to send some  vibes to Angel Wings, as you should have started injecting by now. Good on you! Hope the first one went okay. By the way, you asked about aspirin -- I was advised to take aspirin once I'd started stimming. Am still on it as a matter of fact.

Loubie: hope you're feeling a little less 'emotional' today . I'm ashamed to say that I got so upset yesterday that I subjected my husband to physical violence ...       Stupid thing to do, as it just made me feel worse than I already did.  

Dearest Meg: thanks so much for your kind support and good advice. I certainly do feel connected to you all here. Hope the date for the polyp removal comes around soon; you'll feel great once you get the ball rolling.

Lucie Loo, where are youuuuuuuuu?

And finally, HollyB -- sorry about the news regarding the antral follicle count. However, let's see what Mr Ranieri comes up with next. It must be nerve-wracking for you, but this is very important information for you to have at this stage. Let's just hope that he can come up with a positive proposal. By the way, your daughter is a little cutie, does she still have those big curls? Thanks also for your comments re: the diary. It's very up and down (in line with my mood), but it's nice to know that you're checking in and reading it. Good luck for Thursday.

Okay, here goes: Big hellos to Catwoman, Spanners, Jeps, Cleocat, Fishwonder ... I'm sure there are more of you out there, but my brain has gone all foggy (I need a post-lunch nap, just demolished a great big plate of penne arrabiata. Chilli! I love it!)

Love to all
Jaff
xx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Everyone,

Jaffa, haven't actually started the stimms yet, I'm on day 3 of sniffing. I'm just afew days behind Jep but i think I've decided where I'm going to get them from. Fazeley Pharmacy in Tamworth quoted me £646.67 including courier service, Rigcharm came in second at £669.90 including courier. 
Anyway keep up the good work with the diary, it's great.

Jep if you haven't already got your drugs its worth giving them a call - This is the Menopur + all the littley things. How's things going?

Fazeley Pharmacy - Tel 01827 262 488 
                          Fax 01827 288 199

Rigcharm - Tel 020 7790 9150

Lucie - You've been quiet for afew days, don't disappear on us all.

Hi to all you other girlies 
              Fax 020 7702 8283


----------



## lucie (Feb 19, 2006)

hello lovely ladies  

Sorry I have been quiet, been rushing around a bit with work and such like but have been checking in everyday to read your comments in between stuff.  managed to secure another two freelance contracts which is great and I can keep working from home which is a real plus.

I am feeling ok (ish)  Its a strange feeling at the moment, almost as though I have got one foot in that exclusive club of 'proper pregnancy', but just waiting for someone to tap me on the shoulder to tell i'm not allowed in.  This next scan is such a big milestone for us, one of the pregnancies we saw the heartbeat at 8.5 and then we didnt find out till 11 weeks that it had done.  My scan on Tuesay will mean I am nine weeks and I keep worrying about it all going wrong.  If I am honest with myself I have already bought into the idea of this one staying with me, it would be due on our wedding anniversary and I started treatment on valentines day when we got engaged (too many significant dates to remember if it goes wrong and I wonder how I will cope).  Still I can but wait for each scan and hope that it is going to be OK.  Symptoms wise various things - lets hope i am not making them up in my head!

Angel wings - glad to hear all is going well with you - you bargain hunter!!  Great prices well done.

Jaffa - I have been reading your diary and empathise with everything you say.  if it makes you feel better I had a rumble with my husband after one of the miscarriages (rumbling on my part only) and kicked him too (right in the shins).  You are NORMAL - anyone going through the crap you have would do the same (unless they are some weirdo that never gets angry and lives in fluffy cloud land)and we completly understand.  I dont know if you want to say but when is your test date?  (even though you might have given up on a postitive test I havent!) Remember how sure I was it hadn't worked missy - dont make me come and slap your bottom like you did to me!

Loubie Loo - how are you?  Nice to hear from you and to know you are still lurking (i wonder if you are lurking now!)  Let us know how you are getting on, even if its not about your next treatment or stuff like that. (Thanks for your nice comment too!)

Meg - totally agree with your comments about our jaffa.  I'm afraid I cant help with the polyp removal but hopes its not too painful for you.  I am hearing more and more good things about acupuncture so keep at it.  I had reflexology for when i was trying naturally and it really helped and was fantastically relaxing (more so than acupuncture I found)

Holly B - try not to worry too much, there is always something they can do at the acu?  Forgive me if I am wrong, but four follies on each isnt such a bad result or are there other factors i am missing?  Is this your first cycle?  I think your follow up is tomorrow so lots of luck x


OK, back to work (even though its late in the evening) - I have to catch up as this morning i just could not get motivated to do anything and ended watching tragic tv (jeremy kyle, clean my house, make me thin, etc etc)

Right take care ladies xxxx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hello Acu Ladies

I hope you are feeling o.k today and looking forward to the weekend.....

Just a quick one to ask some advice on drugs. After being extremely lucky with our first round of drugs that we got on the NHS our GP has informed us that although he would love to give us another NHS perscription he can't .

Just wondering how much anyone has paid for all their drugs? Next time I am doing a short protocol and I won't be using buserelin, but all the other usual drugs. I ask my local chemist and he gave me a quote for £978 for everything I would need. Is this about right/cheap or expensive, I really don't know 


Thanks Meg
xxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Meg,

i have got 2 quotes so far, other pharmacy's haven't bothered to get back to me and some that did were more expensive than Fazeley and Rigcharm.

For cyclogest 400mg x 40      £34                                    £28.80
    menopur 75iu x 44          £660 (£13.65 each)              £594.00
    vibramycin 100mg  x 8      £6.00                                £4.18
    voltarol 50mg x 2            £1.00                                £0.50
    progynova 2mg x 56        £5.30                                £5.15
    pregnyl 5,000 units x 2    £8.00                                £6.54


Rigcharm £654.90                                                        Fazeley £639.17
  + £15.00 courier                                                        + £7.50 courier  
  Total £669.90                                                              Total £646.67      

I'm going to try and order mine tomorrow from Fazeley, he also sounded really nice on the phone.

If you scroll up to another posting I've given the phone numbers.

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Meg,

Forgot to add that if you are on menopur, just for the menopur alone at UCh it would cost you £946.

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## HollyB (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi girls,

Well as predicted - OST came back showing poor ovarian reserve. Mr Raneiri suggested that continuing with IVF was probably a waste of time and that I should consider clomid IUI as I had as much chance with that. I'm not a huge fan of IUI I have to say.

As an aside he asked whether I had confirmed that my tubes were open. I had a HSG and laperoscopy in 2002 which showed they were, but as I was about to embark on IUI he decided to check again so I had a HSG this afternoon. And the upshot of it is that my left tube is completely blocked and I have a hypersalpinx in it. Following my extensive research this afternoon on the internet I believe that the "cure" for this is to remove the tube. The other interesting thing is that apparently it gives off toxins which are known to be harmful to embryo's, which could explain why I have had no implantation in my last 3 IVF's despite top grade embryo's.

Anyway I've faxed the result off to Mr Raneiri ... so I'll await his response. IUI will definitely be out of the question now I guess.

Holly


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hi All

Hope you're all doing well.

Felt I should pop on and have a quick word with Holly. My goodness -- what startling (and important!) news about the tube .... and of course the hydrosalpinx. You're absolutely correct that these can be harmful to embryos. Do you have any idea at all what could have caused the tube damage to come about? Did you have a caesarean or any other pelvic surgery since 2002? And a few more questions (if you don't mind): did you do the HSG at UCH? If so, was it on the spot? I hope it wasn't painful. And lastly, was it very expensive? Having not been able to get my tubes checked for GIFT, I think it is imperative now to get my tubes rechecked, and I was wondering whether to do it at the Unit or do it on the NHS (and possibly endure a very long wait). I hope you aren't too disappointed by things, though no doubt today's news was pretty distressing. We're all here to suppport you.

Night all,

love

Jaffa
xx


----------



## loubie (Oct 15, 2004)

afternoon everyone!

Holly, I'm sorry to hear about your tubes...you said you'd had 3 attempts at IVF, did they not check to see if the tubes were blocked before this (probably a silly question I guess) what a nightmare, would they not consider going for the ivf once again when you've had them removed? Lots of luck to you... I have to have both of mine removed before I can start the ivf...am waiting for the 8th June when I can go in and have this done....

Jaffa, I've been reading your diary...I think you're an amazing person and an inspiration.....I don't know what else to say really except that don't lose faith and try to have patience with your DH...After last weekend when I spent the entire weekend screaming at mine I realise how much pressure this treatment puts on our relationship and that it's so easy to feel hurt and resentment that it's me that has to go through this and how easy it is to react to situations where perhaps normally wouldn't have seemed as bad....hang on in there...I really hope things work out for you  

Lucie, hope you're doing ok....I can only imagine how you must be feeling...keep us updated, but will send you lots of luck and hugs for your next scan....


Meg, Angelwings, Jeps, Spanners, Cleocat and everyone else out there, have a fab weekend hope the sun shines wherever you are (although it seems unlikely with this arctic weather at the moment!)

lots of love

loubie xxx


----------



## Meg06 (Dec 5, 2005)

Hello

Holly - so sorry to hear about your OST and tubes. Although it's hard getting the result now, in the long term it's a good job you had them checked again. I also have low ovarian reserve and was so shocked when I got my results, I'm only 32  . I was pleased that Mr Ranieri was honest with us and suggested that we try a short protocol just one more time and then move on to IUI, although, like you, I'm not a fan of that. Let us know how you get on and try to stay positive   .

Angel Wings - thanks so much for the advice on the drugs and all the workings out they certainly sound a lot cheaper than my local chemist . Just wondering how you get the prescription to the chemist - do you just fax it to them? I'll definitely give this a go.

Jaffa - I keep reading your diary everyday. In fact its now the first thing I log on to! It sounds really cathartic writing the diary, maybe I should give it a go!

Lucie - best of luck for your next scan  

Hello to Loubie, Catwoman, Spanners, Jeps, Cleocat, Fishwonder and everyone else - have a great weekend. I'm off to the accupuncturist now not sure what to expect apart from being used as a pin cushion for half an hour.  

Love

Meg
x


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Hi Everyone,

Hope you are all having a good weekend, though the weather is awful, can you believe it is May.

Just finished the Primulot today, sniffing is going well so far, just abit tired thats all nothing to complain about. A/F is supposed to be anytime between 3 and 7 days now.

Meg, I went with Fazeley in the end, just give them a ring and ask for Ali. All you need to do is fax through your prescription and he will tell you how much each item is, he will actually need your real prescription at some point. I sent mine off by recorded delivery as I didn't want to take any chances of it getting lost in the post. I only spoke to Ali at 4.00 p.m. yesterday afternoon to check he had got everything and pay him and recieved everything at 8.00a.m. this morning, couldn't believe how quick it was.
How was acupuncture?

Holly, really sorry to hear about your tubes and OST. What is hypersalpinx? Don't give up on the IUI it worked for my friend.

Jaffa, hope all is well with you.

 to Jep, Lucie, Loubie, Catwoman, Fishwander and Spanners.

Angel wings
xxxx


----------



## angel wings (Mar 25, 2006)

Jaffa, I've just read your diary, just want to say i'm really sorry to hear about your friend, it's so sad. Sending you lots of  .

Take Care

Angel wings
xxx


----------



## Spanners (Apr 2, 2006)

Hi everyone,

What a crappy weekend! Whats all this about the South-East desperately needing rain - it hasn't stopped in weeks!

Just wanted to say Hi to all my fellow sniffers and stimmers. Where is everyone (Catwoman, Jeps)? Hope you're all doing OK and avoiding any nasty side-effects. I'm a few days into stimming and feeling fine. Having had everything shuffled back to avoid the bank holiday I feel like I've been sniffing for an eternity now.Piece of advice for you soon-to be stimmers......... last time I had a bit of a phobia about DH doing the injections into my belly but this time round I've been braver and its so much better than in the thighs. Its only personal preference but having done both I'll definately stick with this now.

Quick question as there's been a bit on here about hydrosalpinx. Is this something that UCH would look for when I had my HSG here at the end of last year? I have one blocked tube and had an HSG but noone ever mentioned to me about looking for hydrosalpinx. I've seen a few posts on this site talking about hydrosalpinx and potential harm to embies so I find it strange its not checked b4 IVF if you have a history of blocked tubes - am I just being a bit paranoid?

Jaffa, Holly B, Loubie, Lucie, Meg - hope you're all coping OK this weekend with the ups and downs of this process. It is a nightmare and hardest of all on your relationship with your partner. We've not told any of our family and only one friend about it so I think that puts extra pressure on DH. I don't know if its the right thing to do but I didn't want all my relationships with people to be changed by this and being expected to keep everyone updated all the time.  Yesterday on the train into UCH we sat next to a family having a good giggle about some friends of theirs having 'fertility treatment'. Just the usual nod nod wink wink stuff about the man having to go into a room to produce a sample but I was so angry its a good job the train arrived when it did. If only they had an inkling of what their friends are going through I'm sure they wouldn't be laughing at their expense.

Hello to anyone else I've missed.  The sun has started shining now so I hope thats a sign of things to come!

Take care and good luck with all your scans and tests this week   

Spanners xx


----------



## Spanners (Apr 2, 2006)

Hi Again,

Jeps - I forgot to say.................Dilapan wasn't too bad. Only took about 5 minutes.  Still had cramps but I don't think as bad as last time and I took more painkillers this time instead of trying to be stupidly brave and sit them out.  The waiting around afterwards was definately the worst bit. DH didn't really need to go with me but it was good to have him there to distract me from the cramps and meant we could get out for a walk down to the cafe instead of being cooped up in the unit.

Hope yours goes OK if its this week. I'll be thinking about you. Try not to worry.

Spanners xx


----------



## HollyB (Sep 14, 2004)

Hi girls,

Thanks for all your messages of support.

I did  have my tubes checked in 2002 and they were open. But i do have endometriosis - which was diagnosed in 2002 also - and cleaned up. At that time it was nowhere significant i.e. not blocking anything. My guess is that it is now what is blocking my left tube. Jaffa - I did have a Cesarean in 2003 so I guess that could also be the culprit. I had the HSG done at a clinic in Harley Street. I think that is where UCH must send you to when you need it done. I got an appointment straight away that afternoon which I thought was pretty good service. It cost £245 (ouch!). And it was painful. The Dr. said it's not always painful - and the pain was pretty short lived.

Loubie - I've actually had 5 IVF's - although I've been lucky enough to have one success. And yes, despite the rubbish ost result I think I will give it one more go with the IVF before moving on. I had 3 excellent top grade embryo's put back in Jan - and I now have myself convinced that maybe the hydrosalpinx killed them off, so I think it's worth one last try. Good luck on June 8th with your tubal removal. I hope it brings you success with your IVF.

Meg - sorry to hear your result. 32 is very young. Do you have any idea what "causes" low ovarian reserve, or is it just rotten luck.

Jaffa - sorry to hear about your friend. I lost my best friend to leukemia in 2003. I was devastated. She was only 36 and had only been married for a year. She never saw my DD as she was diagnosed only a couple of weeks after she was born, and I found that very difficult. Take care of yourself, it's a very sad time.

Love to all - isn't this weather depressing  

Holly


----------



## jaffa_orange (Jul 14, 2004)

Hello everyone. It's a  for me. Just need to get my head around things a bit, then hope to be back to see how you're all getting on.

Good luck,

Jaffa
xx


----------



## Catwoman (Apr 19, 2005)

Jaff, I am so, so sorry. I really hoped it would all be OK for you. 
Sending you loads of love and a huge  
You are very much in my thoughts.
Lots of love,
Claire xxxx


----------



## Rachel (Mar 10, 2004)

This way to a new home 

http://www.fertilityfriends.co.uk/forum/index.php/topic,58474.new.html#new


----------

