TTC or pregnancy on prednisolone or similar part 9

Ohh I need to find a suitable location - from memory some places turn into a kids playground which isn't ideal for us. Can anyone recall where u met last time ? Southbank but not not exactly which restaurant . . Suggestion welcome was thinking 12.30 ish ?

Hey all - what's the plan for Saturday for those of us able to meet up?

Sarah that's such brilliant news about the scan - hurrah! I hope you're managing to feel positive in a 'I'm having a baby way. Such a great milestone. And so good to hear things are going way for you olives! So, so good to hear.

I echo what Delta and others have said Cate in that FMC are really thorough and very reassuring. I hope you get good scan news.

PQ don't blame you for being very nervous! I will come drag you out and we can have a walk in the park or stay in and drink wine now we are able to

My little Pred Baby is 14 weeks today, can you believe it! We've just come back from him having his second lot of injections and he's just over 15.4lbs. They say he's very long! Although I have nothing to compare it to of course being my first :)

Love to all and hope we continue to get good news xx

Thanks Delta. My appointment at the FMC is tomorrow at 1.30. I rang them today so was pleased to get an appointment so soon. It is really encouraging that you recommend going there. If they calculate my risk as better than 1 in 130 then I will probably just wait for the 20 week scan as I have read good things about them.

Hi Cate - my HCG was higher than yours (as was my PapA) so I decided to go for a detailed scan at the FMC as was terrified of the risk of miscarriage with a CVS. The scan was brilliant and made my numbers significantly better (10x in fact!). Unless the numbers are off the scale, they seem to suggest that bloods are more often than not simply 'maternal variation' and not to put too much emphasis on the numbers alone. Your nuchal measurement is great. Based on our low risk at FMC we decided not to have invasive tests and waited until our 20 week scan (also at FMC) to see if any soft markers were revealed and then decide. Fortunately, the 20 week scan was also very reassuring which then halves your risk again. Without invasive testing there is always a risk, regardless of how fabulous your numbers look and even at 1:130, that is still a very low risk. My hospital told me they had a lady with 1:50,000 who was 'the 1' so you really never know for sure and it's a personal decision. Having suffered 6 miscarriages I was just too scared to 'meddle' unless the numbers were appalling but I completely understand the desire to know for sure. Good luck at the FMC - when do you go?
Sue - I've read your posts and have not known what to say. I echo all the comments from everyone on here; I am not sure where you have found your strength but I read your updates in awe. Your experience is really painful to read about, let alone experience and you deserve peace and happiness to replace all the pain you have been put through. May your beautiful angel Scarlet guide you through the coming months xx
Sarah great scan news.
PQ - I am not surprised you are terrified - what a shocking thing to experience. Am glad to hear that Jonty is doing well.
Really sorry if I've missed anyone but hello and best wishes to everyone at their various stages on this often painful journey xx

Hi again everyone,

Just when I thought everything was going wonderfully, I have the results of my NHS triple test and it is a risk of 1 in 130 for Downs. Apparently my bloods were not too wacky (the hCG was 2.38 where 1 is the average and the PapA was 0.83 where closer to 1 is better although this one is better than my hCG). My age risk is dragging it down and the bloods aren't quite good enough to lift me out of the high risk category. At 41 I start off with a 1 in 70 risk so it has improved but not sufficiently. The nuchal measurement was 1.2 which is good.

I have decided to go for a more indepth scan at the Fetal Medical Centre before making decisions about an amniocentesis at about 15/16 weeks. Anyone with any experience of this who could give me some advice? We are not sure what we do if it came back positive for Downs - haven't even thought that far ahead but I am definitely a 'need to know' person.

Great news from Cate and Sarah!

PQ Im not surprised that you're nervous about going out and about but good on you for biting the bullet! Lovely to hear that Jonty is doing well

All's well here - im getting quite a sizeable bump and baby is squirming around lots which is lovely and reassuring! I have a bit of SPD but its manageable at the mo.

Big waves to all.

sue big hugs from me too. We are absolutely here for you when you feel up to ttc again.

Welcome mo and cate (and anyone else I've forgotten).

Great scan news sarah!!

Jonty is doing ok, on a cocktail of drugs including.. .Wait for it...omeprazole! I have to grind it up and try and dissolve it in ebm - I told the pharmacist I wasnt mixing it with apple purée (he hasn't even made it to his due date yet so i think that mixing it with food was not the worlds most practical suggestion).

I am still on edge, especially when I have to leave the house with him but I'm getting there - just because I have to really, much as I would like to stay indoors every day.

Big hello to everyone.

Fantastic Cate - great to have some more good news on here! xx

Hello to everyone,

I have been reading every day, not commenting but going through the ups and downs with all of you. My thoughts are with those going through tough times.

I have been feeling quite rough, combination of prednisolone and morning sickness, but it seems to be easing a bit now. I had the 12 week NHS scan yesterday and all looked ok. NT measured 1.0 mm but just waiting for the blood results to come back to get the trisomy risk. I am 41 so am a little worried, but the measurement was promising. I was put forward a week too so am apparently now 13 weeks :-). I have just about stopped the steroids now (been weaning since week 9) and have stopped the cyclogest, so all on my own now!! I had the last intralipid transfusion today at the NL clinic in Epsom so it really feels like we have reached a milestone.

I hope this is encouraging to others on here. After 5 miscarriages and with very high NK cells, I never expected to be here but this is my first time on treatment with Mr S and everything has been text book (so far!)

It is difficult to relax completely - all of us on here probably feel the same - and things can still go wrong I know, but I am just crossing my fingers and working on relaxing into it. Now to try and shed some of this steroid bloat!!!!

Cate
x

Sue - you are completely amazing, and so brave. Big hugs to you and your husband xxxx

sue Big hugs, you're an amazing woman. As olives says, do give yourself time to heal and be gentle on yourself, you've been through hell. We're here when you feel you are ready to try again, some of us seem to be here for the long haul! :) Sending you lots of healing thoughts xx

Sue, so glad to hear that things went as well as they could yesterday. You have been amazingly strong throughout this awful time, allow yourself some time for physical and mental healing and then that inner strength you have will get you through the rollercoaster of TTC and pregnancy again so you can achieve your
dream of completing your family. Sending you lot of love and strength. Xx

Sue, I'm glad you were able to have a fitting tribute for your lovely little girl. I am bowled over by your bravery when you talk of your continuing journey to conceive.

Hi ladies, it went as well as it could yesterday so I feel like I have said my final goodbyes. DH carried Scarlet from the limo in to the service which was heartbreaking but I am glad he did that. We both feel like we have done as much for her as we could. I don't think I have ever cried so much! Thanks for all your support on here, it really does help during the dark days.

Terrified about TTC incase I either miscarry or have to go through this again. Now that it is over, I am starting to think about what has happened and what I have been through. I think part of me has blocked out it out to deal with it.

PQ awful time for you after this whole journey - just goes to show I think we can never relax from the first BFP. Hope Jonty is OK now.

Cartoonface I will prob be trying around the same time as you.

Sarah good luck for Friday.

Omeprazole choccy? Wassat?

Just dropping in to say I've just found out you shouldn't take hydroxy within two hours (before or after) of any indigestion relief drugs. This includes omeprazole. I only found out as I went to a different pharmacy this time. I don't know if its a side effects issue or if one negates the effect of the other. Those who are on hydroxy as well as Pred and who therefore take omeprazole be aware!!

Sorry for lack of personals I'm not up to date on the thread so hope all is well :)

Evening all.
Progress today - went back for our NHS ivf follow up. They have agreed to give us tests for (excuse the spellings!) Factor V Leiden, antiphosphodid a syndrome (lupus) and karotyping. On top of my TSH test, 8 vials and a faint later....... Pleased that these tests are being checked off the list and paid for by NHS, but it really was a last minute decision by the consultant who called us back in after we had left the office as she then decided to offer the tests! I think she was surprised by me banging on about wanting to know why we can't get pregnant naturally and there must be a reason. Moral of the story - keep banging on!
Still aiming to see Dr G in a couple of weeks to discuss other tests and possibility of endo scratching before FET, and plans/second opinion for IVF #3 though may not fork out for the tests until after our FET (already seeing Dr S via NHS so Fet will be with immune meds too hopefully).
What a difference a week makes. Onwards and upwards ladies!

Oh, meeting on 27th sounds great if that's a general invite - I'd hate to be a gate crasher!
Emma / coopde
Xx

oh relly thats good, i did wonder if that would be possible. i guess id still have to go to mr s for the intralipids though?
im so anxicous to get started! the wait is getting annoying now. i know ill be glad we did though so it wont have interfered with the wedding.

It is expensive but you have to hope that it's for a relatively short period of time. I was lucky I had a very understanding GP who although she had not heard of the treatment agreed to convert all my presriptions to nhs ones which helped save a few quid.

bit of a waiting game free i have aprox 2months just over till we will make a start ttc again. Thank you for telling me your story i feel miles better! dp tells me off for being too negetive about things. the questions about future pregnancies come from him more than me (see he's much more positive!). The costs for us would be a big factor in things though. shame since we agree that we would love 2 or 3 kids. oh and thank god you said that about the alcohol i think i will need it to calm my stressing down hehe

Mo welcome to the thread but so sorry you are having this uncertainty with the pregnancy. And I guess there is no way they could get your dates wrong either. I do have a friend who found the medical profession were adamant she was two weeks behind where she should have been, due to the size of the foetus, but she knew for sure she wasn't. The baby was fine and just small all the way through. But I know that you have probably looked into this a lot.

Pregnancy on 40mg of Pred isn't too bad at all. I mean the Pred ain't much fun, and you might get a moon face, but it's nothing to worry about.

Welcome back cartoon and sorry you too are having this stressed. As one of Mr S' success stories I can only vouch for him but it seems, from what we have found out here, that people who fall pregnancy relatively easily have more success on his programme than people who find it difficult or start to find it difficult for other factors like age or similar. Not that any of us are very young! As for worrying about your levels - I was in the top 5% of levels he ever sees in the clinic and I had a successful pregnancy on the second round of treatment (the first was a mc as it just didn't grow - could have been 'one of those things' could have been the NK cells). It was my fifth pregnancy and he was pretty sure I had a very slim chance of having a successful one without treatment. The steroids did not affect my chances of getting pregnant. Oh I also DTD every day (from around day 8-10 until day 20 - exhausting!) for three times of trying and all three times got pregnant straight away. Give up alcohol?! Are you mad? Although I did limit myself to three drinks on a night out just in case and of course stopped when I got a BFP. What stage are you at now?

I always thought I was going to be that one person who it didn't work for too. But it did. But now I am worrying that I will be that person who has a terrible tragedy etc etc so really we just can't win. I know it is easier for me to say now I have a baby. I do hope you all get where you want to go.

As for having another one DH has never been sure about more than one and the treatment worries him. However the treatment really isn't that bad at all, once it works! I have said that if we chose to go down that route I will allow myself three pregnancies before giving up. Having had recurrent miscarriage I feel I could cope with three - weird as that sounds to anyone who hasn't been through it! I know that there are people on here who are trying for number two and more so you never know when I might start to feel that way about a second one too, but at the moment I feel very lucky to have one and I know what it feels like to be that person thinking - will I ever be able to become a mum, so am grateful to be here now.

Thinking of Sue today and love to everyone else xx

Arian I forgot about the namechange - it's just for a Halloween theme on another thread!

It's interesting to see that so many on this thread have moved on to additional testing with Dr G. We went to see him at the start of the summer, but couldn't really decide which extra tests to go for initially, so typically for us we have done nothing yet!

Thinking of you today sue.