The Elderberry Pavlovas- All aboard the Berrycopter. Thread 14

Just a quickie to say good luck to yorkie and bunny today. Will pop in later for an update!

Just popping in on my way to beddibyes to say good luck to yorkie for your appointment tomorrow. We want to hear how you get on.

Hi everyone else, barking YES to asking about counselling, why not? And to kitty

Yes Bunny mine's on Friday

I will report back on tues evening happy! Yours is this week too yeah?

Barking I suggested a mini break but only with good intentions!!

Rum I think we may be cycle buddies then as I'm also due an AF visit tomorrow but really want it to hold off....

Evening all. Sorry you've been having such a tough time Barking but as others have said the grieving process is a long road with many ups and downs and I think you are doing so, so well. So take lots of time and look after yourself
Kitty sorry you are having such a worrying time. I'm sure that everything's fine and its great news that the line is darker but I know that's not going to make you panic any less .
Btw my cd21 results were 47, 50 and 34 (not sure if its significant that the last one was a lot lower?). It says on the print out I have that anything over 28 confirms OV.
Bunny make sure you take notes at the FC, I want to know everything. Pretty sure my appointment is just with a nurse though so I'm not really expecting much to happen.

barking think our first appt should be with the main consultant, the follow ups will probably be with her team.

Thanks for all the advice boodle funky rum kitty Appt is Tuesday afternoon so will let you know how it goes. I wonder if I will be part of the clomid crew!

kitty my doctor didn't give me the stats, hoping FC will explain them.

Having a crappy evening, feel very nauseous. Have been feeling low so eaten a load of crap and now IBS has flared up
Plus looked at my dates and because my ov/AF was 4 days later than usual we are not only going to have to change our (shag) weekend away but our holiday dates are now wonky too

Oh I see, hence the special pot! Thanks, boodle. And cheapo sticks are the way to go, I pissed away a tenner this week. Need to get more organised and get some ICs in for our IVF.

kitty, the line darkening is a brilliant sign. Here's hoping there won't be any more spotting though!

barking, sounds like excellent progress. Go really easy on yourself.

Rum - PIMP = pee(d) in my pot! For those of us that love the cheapo dip stick pregnancy tests!

rum it's a good point, they'll probably just tell me it's too early .
Still, the bleeding is now more like spotting, and since my hysterics all morning I've not cried all afternoon. That's progress, right? Not managed much lesson planning but hey ho.

rum my fc don't do blood hcg levels so looks like I've got to just wait until 1st oct for my scan. In hindsight, I might have been overreacting. Tbf it's only been a very small amount of brown blood, no cramping and my line was darker this morning. They're right when they say the worrying only gets worse when you get pg!

bunny out if interest, what were the results of the 3 day 21 tests? My gp said I was ovulating with prog of 21 but my fc said they like it above 30. Also, did the gp give you a breakdown of the sa?

You'll need fsh, lh, sti tests and potentially a hsg.

Afraid, I agree with boodle. They'll have their own agenda so be strong and make sure you ask anything you want to ask.

Whoops, good luck for Tuesday, not tomorrow, bunny. (Although, I always need good luck just to get through Mondays. )

Gosh, I missed a lot.

barking, so sorry it's been such a rubbish weekend. Seeing you GP/thinking about counselling sound like great ideas, but also go gently on yourself and give yourself time. It's still so recent, it will take time to heal from the grief.

bunny good luck for tomorrow! I had so much information thrown at me at our first FC appt this week that I barely had time to think, far less ask questions/seek extra info. But I agree with others who said that for first round IVF it's basically a standard protocol they're following. One of the consultants at my place called the first IVF partly "diagnostic", particularly for people with unexplained infertility. Really reassuring for people like us who are only planning to take the one go the NHS will give us.

kitty I'm so sorry there is anxious-making spotting. Will your FC do HCG levels for reassurance? It is a pain that scans can't happen till at least 6 weeks. But spotting is so common that it's surely nothing, but I know that's so much easier said than believed.

funky it's odd of your GP not to have at least done CD2 and 21 bloods. But I was first referred by my GP to the local NHS hospital "fertility clinic", who did some investigations on me and then they referred me onto the actual fertility unit where we're going to be treated once I passed the 3 year mark. So maybe it's a similar system where you are, and the FC people will be doing all the investigating. It just depends on your local set up, so don't worry about it too much.

RP my cycle is 26 days normally, but my LP is about 14 days. I'd temp/track your cycle for a couple months before giving up on your LP, as you may be ovulating earlier than you think? Also, I tried B6 50mg this month, and it's the first month in years that I've not had spotting, so there may be something in it.

A distinct lack of anything happening over here. AF due tomorrow or Tuesday and no signs of PMS as yet. (Bar being a bit mental, but that's normal all month round nowadays!) But then I pimped yesterday (what does pimp even stand for, by the way?!) and BFN so, boo to that. I'll probably be caught out by Tuesday anyway. Eh. Bah humbug.

That's my issue funky I need coping strategies to deal with the bumps and babies as they really are everywhere - at work in a small school, in our close social circle x5 and neighbours on both sides at home. I'll see what the GP says tomorrow. I think they have counselling at the epu but I couldn't face going back there on my own. If it's an option at all I expect a waiting list, but knowing that help is on the way would be good.

I can't imagine the fc will send you away if you've been referred. My GP had a list of boxes to tick to refer us, I don't think your doctor would have been able to refer you if you didn't meet the criteria but as usual it varies according to where you live so don't quote me!

Funky, could you go back to your doctor and at least ask for a cd21 test before your referral? When I first went to the doctors, he ordered blood tests to check that but also to check things like thyroid function and iron levels. I would have thought it's quite unusual to be referred without anything being done by doctor at all...

Ah, my dildocam was about 2.5 months before my first FC, but that was because of the long waiting list for my FC.

To be honest, I can't think of any specific questions or things for you to ask when you go. I tried to prepare before mine (wanted to talk about anaemia and thyoid issues, plus short LP) but was pretty much shot down on all counts.

Expect them to chuck clomid at you soon if not all your day 21 tests confirmed ovulation. 2 out of 3 of mine did (the other was done 2 days after ov due to short LP but she wasn't having a bar of that) but because one didn't she said I probably wasn't ovulating.

They're all different Bunny but in my experience it doesn't matter what you ask or explain, they'll follow the standard script. Is this with the nurse or a consultant?

RP I'm not sure what you're apologising for, I didn't think you had asked me to leave?!

boodle I have had day 3 test which was fine, three lots of day 21 tests, at least one showed I ovulate (one at least was on the wrong date). DH has had a few jizz tests, last one said low sperm.
FC letter says I should get dildocam at my first appt

Remind me what you've had so far, Bunny. It seems to me that referrals to the FC are pretty inconsistent in what needs to have been done before it gets to that stage.

(For example, my doctor arranged swabs and dildo cam before I went to the FC.)

So FC on Tuesday, oh wise ones what do i need to do/ask/say?!?!?

Sorry was not trying to suggest you should go away barking

Anyhow I have no idea how long my LP normally is because until recently I wasn't temping properly. However I do have a 26ish day cycle so unless I was OV by about what, CD14, then it'd be short I guess.

I'll see what happens next month and then start vit B. have also heard Angus castus is good....

Yes she is quite wise isn't she ?!