[lilac]

Nurse, I'm so sorry things went so badly at your job. What a terrible feeling. Just recently I was afraid I would become a scapegoat at my job, but thankfully it didn't happen. I can only imagine how upset you must be.

I hope things turn around for you soon. Thinking of you with fingers crossed.

[kblythe]

Wow, so much has happened in less than 24 hours!

Teri, I have no idea what to say! I know that with ART, beta numbers can do some wonky things, but yours may be the wonkiest! Did your doctor tell you what the beta number was?

Nurse, I'm so sorry. The last thing you need is job stress right now. My advice to you is two-fold. First, get thee to unemployment so you can starting receiving payments until you line up another job. We've been paying into the unemployment system for years, and there is no reason not to take advantage of it now. Also, I'd check with your former employer to see what kind of reference you're going to get. If there is someone above the person who fired you, that would be the person that I would contact. I would let that person know that you did NOT suggest moving the patient, but accept the decision of your supervisor and will be looking for a job and want to make sure that you will not receive an unfavorable reference. On the plus side, nursing is one of those industries where there is a lot of job availability. So hopefully, you won't have difficulty finding something new. I know that the one time I was fired, it ended up being the best thing that ever happened to me, although it was hard to see it at the time. (It prompted me to go back to law school, and now I have a great job!)

Jen, you had asked how much time I'm taking off. I'll be taking at least 3 1/2 months. The State of Georgia (my employer) does not have a maternity policy. Shameful, eh? But leave accrues at the rate of 3 weeks sick and 3 weeks vacation per year. I've been here long enough to accrue close to 5 months, but I don't want to use it all in case the baby gets sick early on.

More later.

kathryn.

[silverbrumby]

Hello lasses,

Nurse, I second everything Kathryn said. I don't know if you were around for my job woes at the hospital but I basically quit because I knew it was a matter of time before my boss threw me under a bus. I think, in your case, the circumstances could have been a lot worse. At least they didn't try to blame you for the patient falling or some other sort of injury or heaven forbid, fatality. I think when working in healthcare, it's important to work for people you trust because it's not just your job that's at stake, it's your license, your finances (if someone tried to sue you), and your sanity. It sounds like the nursing home was a rather shady place to work anyway. Also, in regard to the reference what I would suggest is if you do get ahold of a superior or high up, ask for a written reference so that you have a copy for years to come... Also, the US actually has laws about what a person can say in a reference so if they do say anything negative in future that jeopardizes a job opportunity you can take them to the mattresses.

SInce you live in such a small town, is moving an option if you can't find anything in your immediate area?

Ok, so I stopped taking the metformin all together. I called day before yesterday and they said to half the dose, and I took the half dose that day and slept for most of the day and was totally useless when I was awake. I have deadlines for work and I can't afford to be a zombie. I called yesterday morning and asked to talk to a nurse but none was available. By 4pm they still hadn't called me back. So I just didn't take my doses for that day, and haven't taken it today and I already feel WAY better! I called again this morning but they just took a message and said "a nurse will call". So I told them "well, I am not taking any more of this stuff until I talk to someone because at this rate I will lose my job if I keep taking this crap". Can't risk my job over a medication that I really don't think I even need.

[Deej]

Hello Ladies! Wow, so much activity in just a short period of time.
Teri: i am speechless... keep us posted!
Nurse: so sorry to hear about the job, i am praying that it turns out to be a good thing, like Kathryns experience...
Ona: a cousin of mine took that same medication. she started injectibles today, and i do not know if she is still on the one you quit. i will have to ask her. she has hashimoto's disease (thyroid) and possible pcos? she did say the shot today made her dizzy. i hope that this cycle is a success regardless if you finish the med that is making you into a zombie!
Jen: i actually LOOKED at your signature, and it gives the dates of your surgery, etc... WOW, it is finally happening!

[silverbrumby]

Hello again... just got home and still no power! We had a massive storm push through and when I lost power I went to stay at a friend's house to work, and I am back 24 hours later and still no power... *sigh*... bye bye frozen foods.

Teri, I am SO worried about you and wondering if you've heard anything. Oh! and I did a bit of googling and turns out my "twin theory" isn't a crackpot idea...it actually exists! It's called Vanishing Twin Syndrome and it is associated with early drops then rises in HCG and "miscarriage like" symptoms or even what seems like AF followed by a rise in hcg and + pregnancy. Apparently, it is more common than previously thought. It is more frequent in users of fertility meds because of the increase in likelihood of multiples, and it is more common in women over 30... good news is that vanishing twins in the first trimester have no effect on the health of the other baby. In fact, most are healthy pregnancies. of course, it still doesn't rule out the chance of ectopic pregnancy, but it is an actual valid scientific explanation for why your hcg levels were all wonky... anyway, I am still crossing all appendages for you that this is it.

[lilac]

Originally Posted by Deej

Jen: i actually LOOKED at your signature, and it gives the dates of your surgery, etc... WOW, it is finally happening!

Sorry, I totally forgot to answer you when you asked. In my defence I'm totally exhausted and my mind isn't working wonderfully... yep, the countdown is on!

I want to go away for a week and the only time they have open is the second week in July... only a week after the surgery. Well, 10 days, I guess. It's not too far away (no major travel involved) and it would be a very relaxing week, but so soon after the surgery... I don't know how well I will feel, you know?

Teri, hope you are hanging in there... did the doc tell you what your beta was?

Nurse, hope you're having a better day today and seeing some way forward. Everyone seems to be crying out for nurses, so at least you're in a profession that's somewhat in demand. I know that doesn't help, but I have hope you'll find something else soon.

Kathryn, I'm glad you will have at least a few months at home, and I think it's smart to save your extra time too.

Ona, any news from the nurse? I hope you are at least feeling a bit better since you stopped the drugs. Is it just me, or is your power always going off?

[Teri01042008]

Just wanted to check in let you all know that I'm doing okay.my betas are a bit low for 5 weeks but they are rising,but not as fast as they should be.the dr says he just doesn't know yet if its going to be a viable pregnancy.we start ultrasounds tuesday to try and determine where the baby is.he said that's his biggest concern.if we can't see anything tuesday, he said we will try every week until 9 weeks then he has to step in.and he's monitoring my betas every other day til we determine where the pregnancy is.I'm hoping that its at least in my uterus.I'm trying to be optimistic yet realistic.

[silverbrumby]

Teri, I am remaining hopeful for you that it was a vanishing twin and that second baby is where it should be and doing fine. Do they have you on progesterone at all?

Glad the doc is on top of things and monitoring those levels. Try not to stress...I know, prolly easier said than done.

I've got you in my thoughts!

[Teri01042008]

Ona,I'm not on any type of progesterone because my level is greater than 20 on my own right now.how are you feeling?

[nursegirl0506]

Everyone thank you so very much for your support. I really appreciate it very much. Yesterday was not much easier. I am hoping today will be better. I have filed for unemployment. As for job searching, I am not even doing anything til monday. I just need some time.
Kathryn,
Thank you very much for your advise. Do you do employment law...lol. Just to clarify.. I didnt work in the nursing home. I worked for hospice. My patient was in their nursing home. While I never said what the Director of the nursing home is accusing me of saying, dont for a minute think I wasnt thinking it. THe reason he has been falling is due in my opinion to their neglect. However again I am enough of a professional to keep my opinion to myself. When I asked my boss for a good reference he said " well i wont say anything bad about you"
Going back to the nursing home for a minute. I am very tempted to report them to the state, but I want to wait til I am not so mad, so I am not just doing something out of anger.

okay so anyway in other news..... Teri, your in my thoughts I know right now as hopeful as your trying to be, your scared to death and dont want to get too excited. I will be praying for you and the baby!!!!

Well yesterday I went for blood work. They did a serum progesterone and i asked for pregnancy test as well. i should know about the Preg test today sometime. But probably wont find out the progesterone levels until Monday. If I am not pregnant, I really hope the clomid worked and at least that I ovulated!!

[silverbrumby]

Hello lasses,

Hang in there nurse. I think reporting them is a great idea but wait til you get yourself sorted and feel better. Wow, hospice. Go you! That is truly admirable. Maybe while you are looking for work, you could find some parttime work as an at home care provider for someone terminally ill or with a chronic illness like MS or Parkinsons. Don't know how feasible that is in a small town.

Teri, that is good that you don't have to take prog. I hope you are hanging in there too. Please keep us posted. :-)

I'm doing really well. Since I stopped taking the metformin I've slowly felt more and more "alive", if that makes sense. I know I was tired but didn't realize just how bad it was until now where I feel normal again. I was actually able to work yesterday and it felt great to be productive. The nurse finally called me back and I basically said that I had already stopped with no intention of taking it unless there was a clinically proven reason it would benefit me since I don't have PCOS and I don't have irregular or missed periods, and I definitely O on my own.

So how is everyone else doing? Who's next for gettin sprogged up?

[nursegirl0506]

Ona

Its 8:06 here and I am waiting to call the DR. I want to know the results of the pregnancy test I had yesterday. Not getting my hopes up. Its been a crapy week, I wouldnt get so lucky!

[kblythe]

Good morning.

Nurse, I dont' do employment law, but I work for an appellate court judge so I see a variety of issues. My advice was largely common sense. Plus, I thought it would be good if the supervisor at hospice heard that the complaint against you was groundless because that might expose them to liability if they perpetuate the story. I'm so sorry that hospice lost a caring nurse. My family had a hospice nurse when my mother was going through her terminal illness. It's a fantastic organization, and our nurse made a very difficult time ever so slightly better.

Teri, I know what you mean about trying to balance the realism with the optimism. But being really pessimistic now won't necessarily make bad news any easier to take next week. So try to be at least a little hopeful.

Well, I can't believe I have made it to 30 weeks. I've got an appointment next week to meet with a lawyer to handle all of the trusts and estates matters. As a single mom, I feel that I should have all of my ducks in a row before I give birth in case, God forbid, something happens to me. And now that junior is almost certainly viable, I figure it's time.

Hope the rest of you are well and that Ona has power!

Kathryn.

[silverbrumby]

Nurse, I have my fingers crossed for you... of course, now would be the least convenient time to be pregnant, so murphy's law says you have better odds of getting a BFP. hehe. Oh, and I totally agree with what Kathryn says. I would suggest calling your boss' boss. My thoughts are you are the scapegoat because he's not doing his job and patients are at risk.

Teri, I'm anxiously awaiting news of your next beta.

Woohoo Kathryn! You're almost there!!! I think that covering your baby legally etc is a great idea...now that I've got this whole TTC in gear I have been working on putting together a will and such...never was much to think about except making sure my pets had homes should the unthinkable happen but that was when it was just me, but now it's important since I'm trying to have a family.

On a totally different note, I had a really wild dream last night that I went in for my IUI and was able to see the little eggs on ultrasound and then watched myself conceive over U/s (which, yes I know is not possible but it was a dream)...then I actually dreamt about having the baby and it was really cool!

Ok, back to reality... just a few more weeks til af arrives and then hopefully my cyst will be gone. I had ov pain on the right during my LH surge (two days ago) and then the day after that had same pain on left where the cyst is, so I am hoping that means it ruptured.

[Mindi_IUI]

Happy Friday Everyone!

I had my follow up u/s this week after one week of being on my meds. I have 4 maturing follies. 2 on each size. They are on the small side, 11,12, & 13. I have 3 more night left on the Menpour so they should grow 2mm a day each. I will go back on Monday for another u/s to see if they matured enough for iui. If all is good then I will take the trigger shot that day and have my b2b IUI's on Tuesday and Wednesday Doc promised me that he will not do the IUI unless the follies are mature enough. I don't want to waste the spermies on just a "let's see" plan. I am very mellow this time around. Having the 1st IUI not be a succesful one makes be more on the optomistic, but cautious side. At least I know what to expect during the 2ww. The HCG totally makes you feel pregnant, which sucks in the mind game department.

Keep your for me that my follies grow nice and big over the weekend.

Nurse, It sucks when you get fired when you know that you did do anything wrong, but unfortunately your boss thinks you did. I bet deep down inside you knew that there was always something not comfortable about working there. You should have been called in for a meeting about this concern before they just up and fired you. From what I understand you have to have 3 warnings/write ups before you can be fired. As far as the reference goes, it is not recommended to have one from an employer who dismissed you. NEVER tell a potential employer that you were let go from