[silverbrumby]

Hi again,

Deej - get a "basal thermometer". It's an oral thermometer that works the same as a regular digital thermometer it is just more sensitive to temperature and gives you one more decimal place. so instead of your temp reading 98.6, it'd read something like 98.61...the reason for this is that the temp shift can be very slight. Also, it is very very important that you check your temp in the morning as soon as you wake up and BEFORE you do any sort of movement. So leave the thermometer on a bedside table and first thing when you open your eyes, check your temp. Something as simple as walking to the bathroom and brushing your teeth can affect accuracy. This is why I never charted...I'm useless in the morning and can never remember to check my temp.

As to why no IUI with cyst, there is clinical evidence that supports this... the cyst is producing hormones. You can still get pregnant with a cyst depending on how much hormone it's producing and when, it's just the whole when will you ovulate thing that is messed up, so that's a big problem with IUI, but obviously wouldn't matter if you are home BDing. Medicated vs unmedicated IUI wouldn't make a difference.

[Deej]

Originally Posted by silverbrumby

Deej,

Have you considered at home A.I. for the cycles when logistics are against you and you can't meet up for a ? If so, I have lots of suggestions as there are some pretty nifty ways to ship the swimmers and not too expensive either.
for optimal results your partner should not have umm...released his little guys for like a week so they build up in strength (that means even self-pleasuring is a no no).

I did an at home ICI for round three (or was it two) I think my signature may say. Obviously it did not work If this round did not work either, I may need the shipping info! When he is not in Chicago, he is only 3 hours away by car. July will be his last month here in Chicago. He had read about optimal results, and behaved accordingly ( well as accordingly as a lh surge warning gives room for, the charting may help with this) I appreciate the info.

[silverbrumby]

Got a call back from the nurse...not the doc... same nurse actually. I said "I did what you said and now I feel like I've been hit by a bus". She obviously told me to stop taking the meds.

I told her I was rather upset because:
1. I shouldn't have been prescribed the SAME medicine with a different name after I told you how I react to it.
2. I lost another 2 hours of work today as a result
3. The darn prescription cost me $70!!! And now that is wasted
4. I was upset because the doc is saying I can't get pregnant if I don't take this medicine and yet he hasn't told me any clinical explanation as to why I have to take it. I don't have PCOS and I am not a diabetic so why do I have to take it?
5. I feel like I am not being listened to or communicated with as a result of all of the above and basically being forced to choose between having a baby and having a job and that's not right.

[lilac]

Ye gads, Ona! Sounds like you've reached the point where you need to demand some real answers from your doc. If he feels confident enough to tell you that you can't get pregnant without this stuff, then he should be able to tell you WHY!

I don't like him.

I think you have a right to be heartily annoyed.

Deej, I have been temping for something like 14 months. I don't even open my eyes, I just fumble for the thermometer on the bedside table. I got mine in the family planning section of the pharmacy but I've seen them with the regular thermometers too. It didn't cost any extra and it shows to 2 decimal points like Ona said. It's dead easy to do, as long as you can remember to take the temp as soon as you wake up (some people can't!). I even took mine on holiday with me!

That's how I know I ovulated yesterday!

[Mindi_IUI]

Ona, I am so bummed for you. I can't imagine why you would have gotten another cyst with all of the precautions you have been taking to prevent them from coming. What size was it? I get a feeling that it is time to have a consulation with another RE. A second opinion is much needed here. This doctor putting you Metformin and saying that you have PCOS when you cleary don't (as you know you O) sound like he isn't really listening to you. That is exactly what Teri went through and look what happene to her. Her RE told her she wasn't pregnant and to go on the pill when she was still pregnant. So, check out what the cost would be to have a consultation with another RE and think about doing that. If it turns out that the only way to get ride of that annoying cyst is to get it removed, I say go for it. No more waiting around to see if it goes away on it's own. You NEED to get pregnant now, ******!!!

Deej, I will happily mail you the BBT thermometer that I only used like 4 times. I wasn't into it. I just went with watching my CM and then doing OPK's for the 3 days when I notice EWCM. That was last month when I didn't have an IUI. I went with the clomid and injections with this IUI so I didn't have to an OPK. I didn't realize that you were going to be seeing your fella this week. I was thinking that you were seeing him next month. I guess I didn't read the post correctly. I still can't get over that this guy is wiling to father a child for you. What a great turn of events these past few months have been for you. I hope the works for you. Have fun.

Jen, OMG! Ya, for pre-op admission day this Tuesday.

8dpiui for me. Only 6 more days left before I get to know if I have a baby inside of me or not

[silverbrumby]

Hi Mindi,

Just to clarify, I haven't gotten another cyst...it's the same cyst. And the only reason I got this cyst in the first place is because of the Clomid.

I agree with you and am very seriously considering switching docs. iI won't cost me anything. I just have to let my insurance know and get copies of my records to bring with me, then when I pick a new doc I just have to make sure I get a preauthorization from my insurance. Since I am benched this month anyway, I have plenty of time. I may even make a few calls tomorrow.

I mean, I KNOW I don't have PCOS... just because I am old and fat and never had kids doesn't mean I have PCOS. I used to have to get ultrasounds every 6 months as cancer followup and in 12 years of followups I have only had a cyst ONCE. I also felt one rupture a few years back and even though I hadn't seen it on an u/s I knew I had a cyst cuz I could feel it. If I had PCOS I'd assume that would mean there'd be MANY cysts all the time, not just one or two in twelve years!

I know I am not diabetic or even close to borderline. I've done fasting glucose tests 3 times in the last year and a half and they were fine. My thyroid was also checked and it is fine. I never get cravings for carbs or any of those other wierd symptoms insulin resistant folks get... I used to be super fit in high school and college... then after cancer I gained like 60 pounds and I have been trying to lose it ever since. I can manage to lose some of it but then it just slowly comes back again. Then I hit the dreaded 35 and the weight just won't budge. I have a condition in my legs called lipodema and it means I can lose weight but not in my legs. They look like tree trunks. Even when I had a 22 inch waist they looked like tree trunks.

So I think I am going to find a nice female doctor who will actually listen to me.

[lilac]

Ona, I think this is a great plan. Get a consult with someone else, someone who will actually listen to you, and then get on with the getting pregnant!

I totally crave carbs! Doesn't mean I have PCOS. One symptom doesn't do it, and you are most definitely not getting a bunch of cysts. Every woman will get them occasionally, I think (I had a cyst once in the 6 months when I was doing IUIs, and my RE never batted an eye), and that's probably what this one is.

Find someone else, I say. On the plus side, you've already done all the testing... once the cyst is gone, everything is good to go.

[lilac]

Mindi! 6 days, yah!
How are the rest of you 2wwers?

[Teri01042008]

Ona,I think finding a new RE would be the best thing you could do.My old RE told me that I had a miscarriage and that was it,I was no longer pregnant and I needed to go on the pill to zero out my numbers.I took the pill for a week and something just didn't feel right,I was still throwing up,still tired,and I honestly still felt like I was pregnant.WELL,after my first appointment with my new RE,he called to say that I was still pregnant and to stop the pill right away.I almost fell over in shock.My old RE had never even considered the possibility that I had been carrying 2 babies and only miscarried one,but that's exactly what happened.I even expressed my concern to him about the fact that the bleeding from the miscarriage only lasted 2 days and stopped cold,he said not to worry about it.I told him that I bled all through my 1st pregnancy and he totally disregarded it.My old RE's partner also put me on 1500 mg of metformin daily because he told me I had PCOS,even though I am not overweight,I am not diabetic or insulin resistant,my lh:fsh ratio is normal,I ovulate on my own (have 2 prior pregnancies to prove it),and my cycles were typically 28 days until I had my daughter (whom I gave up for adoption) almost 3 years ago.after I had her,my cycle length increased to around 35 days,which my new RE said is normal.cycle changes after giving birth can happen.even my old RE said I did not have PCOS even with his partners diagnoses of PCOS but he said to keep taking the metformin anyway as it wouldn't hurt me. and my new RE confirmed that I do NOT have PCOS.I am now 7 weeks 3 days pregnant and I shudder to think what would have happened had I not changed RE's when I did.if your RE cannot explain to you why you're taking metformin or why he says you won't get pregnant without it,then I wouldn't go back to him.you deserve a dr. who can back up the treatment plan he has devised for you with explanations.on another note,I had another u/s yesterday and my little jellybean is measuring right on target and has a perfect heartbeat of 150 bpm!!!I am officially graduated to a regular ob/gyn!!

[silverbrumby]

Yay Teri! Congrats on "graduating"! So do you have an OB picked out?

Thanks so much for your advice and support ladies. I am starting to look for another RE. Like I said, I'm going to try find a woman...I just think the odds are better that a woman will listen and understand things better.

[kblythe]

Ona,

Why don't you post a thread for good REs in your area? I don't think you should blindly pick a female. At my practice, I loved my male doctor (who would literally spend an hour talking to me during each consult). But there was a woman in the practice who I swear had a touch of Asberger's Syndrome!

The biggest lesson I've learned through this whole process is that we are our best medical advocates, and we need to have excellent lines of communication with our medical providers. So if you're not getting that from your current provider, you need to look elsewhere.

On an unrelated note, I finally e-mailed all of the information to the trusts and estates lawyer this morning so he can draft my will and the trust for the baby. We single-moms-to-be need to be a little more vigilant about these sorts of things. If, God forbid, something happens to me during childbirth, at least I'll know that the baby will be taken care of.

I'm 32 weeks today! Yippee!

Kathryn.

[lilac]

Teri, way to go! Yahoo!

Ona, Kathryn's idea is a good one. I think it would be worth posting a thread asking for suggestions. I've seen lots of threads like that and the asker usually gets lots of good feedback.

Kathryn, 32 weeks. All right! How are you feeling?

Well, happy Friday, all! I know I'm happy about it!

[Teri01042008]

Kathryn,yay 32 weeks!!!how do you feel?lilac,its getting close,are you getting excited?I do have an ob/gyn all picked out and I even made my first appointment!I'm so excited!!even though I still have a few more weeks until 12 weeks..

[silverbrumby]

Hello Lasses,

YAY Teri! Congrats on making your first OB appt.

Kathryn, I'm not going to blindly pick a doc. I actually went through vitals.com and found all the women docs in this area... then I googled each one and found reviews for them on sites and forums and picked the one that there was the most good things said about.

I don't want to go to one of the big IVF clinics around here because then I will not be guaranteed to see the same doc and will just be another number, and there really aren't many stand alone clinics.

But I found a lady near my current doc who has her own clinic and had lots of good reviews. I made an appointment for next wednesday for a consult.

[lilac]

Teri, no, not really excited... more anxious and nervous! I AM excited that I might be able to ttc again soon, though!

Ona, that's wonderful that you found someone and can get in to see her so quickly. I am so glad that I've been happy with my doc so far, because the next nearest one would involve a 8+ hour trip or a very expensive airplane ('benefits' of living on an island). You're lucky you have more than one in driving distance. Can't wait for you for next week now!