TTC 10 plus months, part 6

[mrsden]

A friendly, supportive thread for those of us who are taking a bloody long little longer time than average to conceive.

mrsd thanks for your help too. It's always good to go into these things armed. So, even if is it PCOS I should be getting somewhere as DHs sperm is fine, which makes me feel really shit about myself. Hey ho. It does help loads to hear about other peoples experiences.

I'm sorry to hear about your pregnancy announcement. It really does seem unfair doesn't it? The pregnant couple you know sound charming! Here's a huge hug for you. I hope you feel better soon. I think that bar the confusion and anger over not having a normally functioning system pregnancy announcements are by far the hardest part of this process. Lots of love and hope you feel better soon xxxx

I think pcos is really tricky because it seems like it is something that affects people so differently. So some people with it might never ovulate, some might ovulate erratically so can't get the timing right, some might ovulate too late which means poor egg quality. And some women ovulate with no problems.

I feel ok now, thanks for the hug princess. I do feel like I'm the only person in the world struggling with ttc sometimes. I honestly don't know anyone else in RL that is having problems. Everyone is so fertile.

Well bums my Internet is broken. Little phone post, it's been so very busy on here which I love but feel I'm falling behind. There is a general theme of friends and families not knowing what to say/saying unhelpful things/not saying anything at all. It always amazes me that people don't understand the basics. All that needs saying is you WILL get there and it must be very hard and stressful + lots of listening. How hard is that?

Thanks for all the broid love. It would appear that it was there on the MRI and ultrasound all along but it needed the photos to put it all in context. Tis a pity this has taken 4 months to establish but hey ho. A rather unpleasant front and back door examination confirmed the find! The stirrup chair is not a nice place to be is it?!!!! Do you have to be in one for IUI? Horrors. My worst fear and Dr Big's concern was that the fibroid was growing into the cervix which would have been inoperable and also made iui and ivf not an option. Living with this has been incredibly difficult and I think I will look back on the past 4 months as a spectacularly low point in ttc. But, it is sat above the cervix, in the wall. It's size takes up 3/4 of my uterus back wall and it protrudes quite far back. As such it has pulled my womble into a totally retroverted position to the point where it is sat in my bowels and bum compressing them. He didn't say the tilted womb was a ttc problem but it's why my hsg and lap failed because it was such a steep angle. He said he knows how to get round this now so phew, not a blocked access. Also he hopes my womb will go back to a better position once the broid comes out. Which could be in May/June and it's going to be a big op I think, with a dye test thrown in for good measure.

I am scared, but I do feel I'm making progress. I've no idea if this is why we haven't made a baby and he won't commit to that. But it can't be optimum conditions? And hopefully if I don't lose my womb eek I will be in a better position for treatment. Much as I'm glad it isn't worse case scenario, I will now have a big scar and will never have a natural birth. In the grand scheme of things maybe that's not so bad. Sorry this is a me post, its kind of therapeutic. Once normal net service is resumed I'll do a proper catch up with you all. Big loves and I'm loving our feather dance talk, it made me feel all uplifted!

princess ? it makes such a difference to have a helpful, friendly GP. Hang on to that one! Hope the viewing has gone ok this afternoon.

joycep ? brilliant news about your progesterone results. I haven't been to acu since the ivf but I think I should go back again, if only for the someone to talk to side of things like euro says.

Sorry to hear about all the unsupportive parents, I can?t imagine how hard that must be. Nosey but well-meaning in-laws are bad enough without people being insensitive. My own mum, and dad to his credit, have been pretty amazing considering they?ve no experience. As wine says though, how hard is it to acknowledge it?s stressful and emotionally very tough and to offer a shoulder to cry on every now and then.

keepit - enjoy Venice, I love that place.

Gin and Critter ? mr gee did manage to get the pot into his coat just in time! He works in the NHS and we chose that hospital because we thought it was far enough away from both our usual stomping grounds. He managed to waffle his way out of it eventually. at masterbatorium

Artemis ? at your friend?s comments? especially after what she?s been through. I hope it was a blip.

Mrsd ? I?m so glad the open evening was a success. The presentation and format sounds pretty similar to the evening we went to, complete with some ladies asking very personal questions. But we never got to look around any facilities (as they are at another site) ? I?d have quite liked to have a good look around!

Sorry about the pregnancy announcement though. I too have a scale of how fair a pregnancy is, it?s terrible but it does help me rationalise my feelings. The couple you describe definitely come down on the wrong side.

Purple ? I think most clinics/doctors like to have test results from within the last 6 months so it might be a good idea to get them tested again.

Enjoy the secret hobbling, nelly (I fear that phrase might stick )

Wine ? you?ve every right to feel scared about the next steps but thank God you finally have a plan to move forward. I know doctors don?t like to commit to making statements like that but, really, how can it not have been hindering your fertility? Here?s for a bit of luck and smooth sailing coming your way from now on.

And, you're right, this thread is moving faster than the speed of light at the moment.

I'm still feeling a bit lost with everything and with all the options we could have. We're going on holiday the week after next and I think the best thing, although it's against my instincts, is to do nothing until we come back from that.

Sorry to everyone I've missed but waves and lots of shaking of tail feathers to all!

Some for wine. Well done on getting through the stirrups ordeal. And as for the last 4 months? it must have been so hard with all the not knowing and the worrying. You are amazingly brave and deserve the biggest BFP, which I am sure will come your way very soon? May/June isn?t a horrendously long wait (although next week would still have been nice) so you?ll soon have a ?broid-free super-baby-friendly womble! In the meantime, try not to worry too much about it all (impossible, I know). It sounds like Dr Big is very capable and knows what he is doing, so you will be in safe hands. I hope you are treating yourself to a nice bottle glass of wine tonight.

Hope euro and gin are doing well in their wws. I am keeping fingers and toes crossed that this thread continues to deliver lots of BFPs!

joycep congratulations on an excellent prog result! I think you said you were a fellow short lp person, so it?s really great to hear that this hasn?t affected it.

Good luck for the scan tomorrow princess and hope the viewing went well! We?ve also got flat-hunters traipsing round our flat at the moment and it?s such a pain having to keep everything tidy all the time.

Congrats on your first tww critter!

Enjoy Venice keepit! I?m also very . I still haven?t been to Italy, although I have long wanted to go there. I must get out of the habit of going to the same country, despite it beckoning me.

Thanks for the info about the ivf clinic mrsd. It was really interesting to hear about it and it does sound like you?ve found a good clinic. Sorry to hear about the pg announcement. I am also having one of those days where I feel a bit like a teenager, stomping around and shouting ?s?not fair!? at the world. I got an email yesterday from a good friend who is 8 months pregnant, which has probably messed my head up a bit. I am genuinely pleased for her because, for non-ttc-related medical reasons, the pregnancy has been difficult. On the other hand, and again because of those medical reasons, I can?t help but think ffs, how come she found it so easy to get upduffed?! I know that?s awful of me, which is why I have only said it here. But it is not helped by knowing that it happened for them in the first month of trying. Now I feel terrible saying all that when I know I should just be pleased for them? I hate how this has turned me into a green-eyed monster. Grrr? On a positive note, I had my blood tests done today so at least I?m making some progress, and Mr B has promised to do his SA on Tuesday. Anyway, enough ramble from me? Hope everyone is having a good day and waves to those I?ve missed!

wine yes, sorry IUI does involve the dreaded stirrups. The worst moment for me was laying there up in them with three strangers around me and my husband back in his office 15 miles away, and thinking "this just isn't how a child is supposed to be conceived". But I am quite good at putting thoughts out of my mind, so I did and it was fine. The process is quite similar to a HSG, i.e. legs akimbo, speculum (yuk), catheter through the cervix, liquid put through catheter. But I think most people find it less painful because they are not forcing large amounts of liquid through your tubes (personally I didn't feel that part but I know some people have found it painful). I think the most painful bit for me was when the nurse moved the metal trolley with all the equiment on it across the room quite quickly and whacked my foot while it was up in the stirrups!

Sorry to those of you receiving pregnancy news. I thought all of my friends were pg or have kids already but I learned last week of two that are ttc, so I might have more announcements to come.

wine it's great that you can finally move forward to treatment.

mrsd sounds like a great place and quite on the ball

artemis i would expect your friend to be more understanding

gin and euro my mothers always been a bit*h not very nice person so her disowning me was a god send, I'm not missing out on anything I can assure you

princess hope the viewings went well :)

nelly enjoy your secret hobbling

Well i've had a crap day, a friend at work asked how things were going (AF is due tomorrow) I ended up crying, even the lunch lady gave me a hug. I then went to see my GP who is very nice and has had IVF so she is usually understanding, 6 months ago after 2nd miscarriage she told me not to worry and that my age wasn't a problem, well today I went to see about getting a hysteroscopy on the NHS, she told me I didn't have time to waste due to my age and that I should consider IVF :( due to my age I get no help from the NHS. So now I don't know what to do?? Should I continue with the Super Ovulation this month or wait and have the hysteroscopy and try after, We can't afford IVF in the UK if at all, not really keen on adoption so maybe this it for us, sorry just wanted a moan

Anyway waves to everyone

wine - well that it some progress and I'm so pleased you have at last found a doc who is on the ball. I know it is incredibly scary but I have a good feeling now that he will get this bugger out and that will do the trick. It takes up 3/4 of your uterus - it has got to be stopping you from getting pregnant. Totally agree with what Beryl says. Big hug to you.

princess / artemis- acu doesn't hurt but I'm with you artemis, I'm not entirely sure it has does anything. I did it for 3 months last year and my short LP didn't extend at all. He told me I had 80% chance of extending it so typically it didn't happen for me. Anyway, I will continue it every 2 weeks now until ivf. Although my acupuncturist was saying for some people it just doesn't work but it's worth a go.
and at your lovely friend's comment Artemis .
euro - well cross fingers for you. It does sound like this could be the 2nd issue so hopefully the Olympic team will do it's job!

critter - I hope you caught Mr C last night before putting your feet up for the coming 2 weeks.

gin - i hope your first day back today was ok....you must be beside yourself with anticipation.

mrsd - that's great you got to the open evening and all seemed ok. That poor lady who was crying . I can't believe you had a little tour
and saw potentially little babies in the making. I would love to see that so I slighly understood the whole process a bit more.
And sorry to hear about this unsuitable parent to be. I do exactly the same. Every pregnancy news I weigh up in my mind whether it is fair.
I heard that someone in my year at school has just given birth this week. She got married less than a year ago and quite frankly she was such a btc at school
and a complete bully and she still is. Anyway, I just sighed when I heard. It just adds weight to my theory that good things happen to bad people. I've become so bitter
it isn't pleasant!

nelly - enjoy hobbling tonight

lady - where are you at now with your options? Are you trying to decide whether to get more tests done before doing ivf again?

Beryl - your last para rings very true for me as to how I torn i felt with a friend. I must say when people have other medical
issues going on but they still get pregnant, it somehow worries me even more.

lisa - i'm so sorry about your crap day but this isn't it for you. When are you due for your hysterscopy? There is no harm in continuing with super Ov is there? that is absolute rubbish that you get no help from the nhs. i get so confused by all their stupid rules which seem to differ from one area to the next.

Well I am such a plonker. After my excitement at my progesterone results yesterday (and stupidly asked DH whether he thought I could be preggers),
AF has turned up today at just 11dpo. I still don't understand why my progesterone levels fall so quickly then. Surely my LP should be longer?. Sigh.
I have that usual wave of doom sweeping over me that loves to accompany AF. I just want this all to end and want to know what the end of the story will be. I'm now
officially in to the 3rd year of trying and know I have barely started this journey.
Sorry for the moan, I know we are all in the same boat.

Waves to everyone else.

sorry for my crap grammar and sentence structure as well. Really sturggle on the iphone.

joyce thank you and big hugs, i'll call the clinic tomorrow and get the ball rolling, I'll leave SO for this month, hopefully they'll do the hysteroscopy. DH and I have had a chat, we both really aren't sure about adoption so I think that is a no go for us. Around here the NHS only helps you until your 37 or 38.

wine ? the stirrups are the tool of choice for ivf too. The process was very similar to euro?s description of iui, the only difference being mr gee was there too. I found it more embarrassing than uncomfortable, the consultant was lovely and was keen to talk us through every step, which would have been great but it?s hard to pay attention to someone when you are naked from the waist down and your lady bits are level with their face.

beryl ? good news on getting your blood tests out of the way. Sorry your friend?s email knocked you a bit, it is only natural that we have a pang of jealousy. I think it?s even more difficult when you know someone?s ttc background too, especially when they?ve only been trying a month or, worst of all, it was a happy accident.

lisa ? sorry about your day yesterday. But I agree with joycep, you still have options. I know there?s a cut off point for ivf in most places, here it?s 39, but they should still offer help in other forms? I hope your call to the clinic goes ok and you get the hysteroscopy soon.

Oh joycep, I?m so sorry af turned up. How confusing after such good results, I felt sure something must have been happening. I can?t remember, do you temp? I only ask because I have a short LP, never more than 10 days, but my temps only seem to dip slightly, if at all, when af arrives and only drop properly a few days into my next cycle, I always wonder if that means my progesterone is slightly out of synch somehow?

We seem to have an endless combination of options, joycep. Essentially we either stick where we are or try to move clinics (which would prob put us to the back of the waiting list), and maybe see a private dr for a second opinion and other tests alongside. It depends whether we choose to think we were unlucky or whether we really think there is something else going on.

We have our next appt when we come back from holiday ? at which we?ll discuss our most recent test results and decide on what do to next. I think I?ll wait to see what the outcome of this is before making any decisions.

In the meantime, we are speaking to a private clinic to get an idea of costs for a second opinion and maybe an NK cell biopsy for me - with my history of allergies/inflammatory immune responses I think my NK cells might be high (but that could just be Dr Google talking!). I just fear that the costs will be horrendous if we go down that road. Decisions, decisions...

Morning ladies

Mrsden thanks for the info on your clinic visit, really interesting. I'm also interested in the stuff about late ov meaning poorer quality eggs. Do you know if that is also related to a short LP? My acu reckoned short LP and spotting could be due to a poor quality corpus luteum not doing its job of pumping out progesterone, which might also suggest the egg itself wasn't very good? speculates wildly as if this will change anything

Wine surely a broid that takes up part of your womb must be causing the problem. FWIW my mum has a tilted womb and it didn't stop her having two children with no problems at all :)

Good luck with all those flat viewings Princess... and at the guy who was so worried about spoiling his kids he didn't want them to have a garden! How can being outdoors spoil a child? The mind boggles. I get on OK with acu even though I am a wimp around needles (I tend to keel over at blood tests which has been a pain these last few months). As Euro says, the sensation varies but the acu needles are different, you feel a twinge but i wouldn't describe it as painful exactly.

Sorry about baby/birth announcements Mrsden Joycep Beryl. It never gets any easier does it. We've had a few announcements of wild living or simply horrible people getting preggers this year and it does my head in. Our fag-smoking, stella-drinking, all-night-partying neighbours have two small kids who they call Gerroverherenow and Fuckingshutup. I often have to stop myself from going round there and having a go at the vile parents. Why even bother having kids?!

Lisa really sorry about your crap day. I am in a similar situation with NHS regarding my age. The upper age limit for treatment here is 39. I reach that milestone at the end of this year. The IVF wait list is 12 months so I've been doing the maths... what I don't know is whether they determine eligibility based on your age when you go on the list or when you get to the front of it. I have a nightmare that I'll get to the front of the queue just as I get too old to be eligible for treatment. They also won't put you on the list if you are having any other treatment. I asked if I could join the waiting list and take the clomid in the meantime. The doc said no, because "we don't plan for treatment failure". I thought, why the hell not?! Have they never heard of contingency planning? No wonder the NHS has such a dreadful track record of project management. Yes the waiting list would have more names on it if they did it that way, but surely a lot of people would get their BFPs and drop off it so the overall wait time would be the same? but hell, what do I know, I just pay my taxes to provide for everybody else's maternity leave, child benefit etc etc

Sorry for the rant, I am a grumpy cow today! My acupuncturist scrutinised my temp chart and decided I probably did ovulate so I am officially in the 2ww... We managed swi on the NHS-recommended every other day but I'm not feeling very hopeful this month. The one benefit of a short LP is I don't usually get much time for mentalling as I've usually started spotting by about 8 or 9 dpo so I never get to the point where i would test (hence I suppose saving a fortune on BFNs - there has to be a bright side!). Joycep boo to the evil AF, hope you come out of the AF-related misery. I guess we all experience that.

Have a good day everyone. I need to do something about my tail feathers, they are looking a bit limp

Lots of posts, I fear that I will definitely miss lots of what I wanted to say so I will send love and waves to you all now!

wine such good news that the fugitive fibroid has been pinned down. Surely given it's size and what it has done to the shape of your womb it must have been impacting conception. I understand that you must have mixed feelings about it, obviously relief but also some consternation that you have to have another operation, another scar and a C section when you have your baby. Not quite in the same league at all as you, but I feel a bit peeved that I will have scars on my tummy from the lap and feel like my body won't be the same and I haven't even managed to have a bloody baby yet and all the ravaging associated with that!

Joycep Sorry that AF has arrived (especially when you had dared to hope). It is depressing to think that even after all this time of trying we are only at the start of the journey. Like you I just want an "end date". I don't know whether the lap is making me feel more optimistic or relaxed, but I am at a point right now where I think I am more accepting of all this. I still have the deep sadness about it all & the why me thoughts but I don't have that frustrated, knot in my stomach or the intense anger. Having said that after a couple of failed cycles after the lap I will probably be all fired up again and wanting to do some 'secret hobbling' of my own

Mrsd The tour sounded very informative, that's great. It's also great that your DH is all fired up and ready to go on it.
I did chuckle at your assessment criteria of whether a pregnancy is "fair". I must admit that I do that too......"funny" comments about 'sneaky' drinking on FB when preggers also makes it onto my fairness assessment list

lisa I'm sorry that you are having a down phase. Your GP perhaps could have been a little more tactful and perhaps a little more helpful. Telling someone that their best bet is private IVF that they can't afford is not helpful (it happened to us and made me feel like all was lost) and surely discussion of all the options for a plan b would have been better.
Also as someone who has a difficult mother who never ceases to amaze me with her shenanigans, even I am shocked by your mother's actions before your wedding. That is terrible.

lemons I totally understand why not having the pressure of SWI would be a good thing. DH and I haven't SWI'ed at all this month and it has been fantastic!
What are your next steps?

ladygee are you going somewhere nice on your hols?

Well I am indulging my mothering urges on my big dog at the moment. We think he has hayfever and has sores under his tail where the skin has itched and he has licked himself to buggery. We are bathing his sore bits and to stop him licking any more we are tying a tee shirt round his back end like a nappy. It is v. cute though he doesn't appreciate wearing his "big boy pants"!

Anyway, boo to unsympathetic friends and family, pricked up ears at chocolate drinks that are good for fertility & wincing at flab getting caught in cups.

Morning ladies :)

wine what great news and well done for surviving what must have been a torturous 4 months. Surely if something is blocking 75% of your lady bits it must be having an effect on getting up duffed? So, on to the next stage and destination baby in sight. Woop woop!!

lisa sorry you had a crappy day yesterday. I'm sure like all the other ladies say there are lots of other options for you to explore. I'm no expert in this as I'm at the beginning of my long journey (but I'm learning fast!). Don't give up hope. Big, big cuddle for you and hope you have a better day. xxx

joycep sorry to hear AF has turned up. The accompanying doom always makes it feel so much worse doesn't it? I'm sorry your feeling crap and it's taking a long time. As wine said up the page, it will happen. I believe it will happen for us all. It's just torture waiting. Have a big understanding hug. xxx

lady Good luck with the decision making. A holiday could be just the ticket to clear your head and enjoy some time away with your OH. I am holding on to my GP like I've found a willy wonker golden ticket (somehow that sounds sooo wrong in the context of TTC).

beryl what you said about feeling horrible about TTC turning you into a green eyed monster rings so true. I love kids and babies. I have always loved kids and babies. I now find kids and babies slightly offensive, as I can't get over not having one. Sorry the email made your feel rubbish on more than one level. And yes, keeping the flat like a show home is a nightmare. I managed to trap my little finger in the retractable tube of our dyson yesterday which is causing me no end of grief (soap outch, crisps outch, putting rubber gloves on outch...) I blame it on the people who came to look at our flat and then deemed it unsuitable as there is no parking space. I told the estate agent that there is no parking around here and pointed out all of the options that we have to use. Why do they show people your flat if they know it doesn't fit their exacting criteria!! FFS!!!!!!!!!

We were doing some DIY last night and DH was removing the old water tank and pipes from the loft and came across a couple of empty beer cans and a pile of unmarked VHSs. He said, "come and look at this, I think it may have been someone's masterbatorium" This is def going to fall into popular use in our household

Well, I'm feeling quite sick about my appt today. I now realise I have no loose fitting trousers / skirts as they suggest you wear (unless I go in my pj's) plus I am not good at holding a full bladder and I'm not looking forward to being surrounded by the cackling coven and their bloomin' bumps. Plus DH decided to make bean burgers and baked beans for dinner last night, so I have terrible wind that smells a bit like dog farts Double Plus I'm terrified of what they will find in my lady area (maybe some embryo eating monster, which is all fat and happy and needs to be vapourised?!) and as I'm still on my period if I don't have a full bladder that the literally bloody fanny cam will be in use.

In other news, I have decided to set myself a 3 month booze ban challenge as of this morning. I'm into week 4 of not drinking and feeling quite good for it, so I'm taking it to a new level. I've not decided what, but I'm going to treat myself to something fabulous if I make it to wk 12 without a single drop of alcohol. Also, as my period feels back to normal I'm hoping that there may be the chance of a proper shag week (uninterrupted by a midcycle bleed) and potentially a 2ww and maybe a BFP in May (baby would then be born near my b'day and that would be a nice 31st present and it wouldn't be a snake, I mentioned this to DH and friend and they thought that when I said, "if we have a baby next year, I'll be giving birth to a snake" comment was hilarious), but I know I'm setting myself up for a fall and that this sort of thinking only leads to dark, dark places. Oh rubbish to all this crappy crappy crap crap. TTC officially sucks big time. Sorry, I'm not quite sure where all of that came from. I'll try and coax my tail feather and be a bit more sporting for the afternoon ahead.

Waves, hugs, cuppas for everyone. Hope you all have a good day :) I'm off to make an organic peppermint tea

Sorry about the unexpected arrival of AF joycep. It is so much worse if you've allowed hope to build (and with those prog results you were totally reasonable to hope). It is rubbish. I hope you feel better soon!!

You made me chuckle about your neighbours artemis even though they sound awful! Sorry about the age limits and associated trouble. As to the not planning for failure , I think they should look at the stats and realise that failure is definitely a high chance, often higher than treatment... Sorry about your age-issue and unhelpful doctors, lisa!

Poor doggy, pout. I would not be that happy having big boy pants myself, though, so I sympathise with him. Sorry you are in a resigned state of mind, even if it is better than a in-a-complete-rage state of mind. I really hope there is some low level endo to be removed or something and the lap&dye and that afterwards you will go mental, not from waiting, but from pg-hormones :)

The guided tour of the clinic sounded good, mrsd. And I hear you about checking out the normality of the other couples there. I had my first scan again yesterday and I spent the whole time in the waiting room checking the others. They seemed normal enough. Although the others had OHs with them (while mine was working)... Somebody had brought her mum, and that made me think of the thread as well. Fingers crossed an appointment will come through soon, mrsd and you can start when you want!

Holidays before next steps sound good lady! I really hope you come back with recharged batteries ready to take on the whole shitty TTC-journey. Difficult choices with waiting lists, expensive tests and the pretty disgusting way your clinic behaved. First a lovely time, I hope. Where are you going?

Princess your descriptions of everything (family, lawn, flat, etc make me smile everytime I see them. Fingers crossed the flat sells soon!

Fingers crossed for the WWs euro. It is funny, I completely failed to notice the huge similarities between iui and hsg. Probably because I was not scared of the iui and it consequently did not hurt and I was totally paranoid (thank you dr google) about the hsg and wept at the surgery, before they even came close. But it is indeed similar. In any case massive crossing of everything for you (except the legs, by the time the next iui comes round - who had the friend that made That Comment, I cannot believe the stupidity of some people!)

On the stirrups topic, I have totally gotten over that, I happily hold conversations with people who are focussing on my lady bits, preferably about other things, such as the weather (dreadful), my name (interesting), pharmacists (stupid) and my eggs (small and lots of them).

Well done on the blood tests, good luck for your DH's SA, beryl. And feel free to let go here about the upduffed ones in RL. This is a safe place and we all understand!

Btw mrsd and pout and others, I definitely have a list of who is entitled to get pg and after what amount of time (miracles after cancer - definitely allowed; totally immature and sweary - not allowed; in between - allowed after a decent [ie between 6 and 18months] of TTC). And if anyone else says, it is much earlier than expected but we are really happy about it, I will slap them.

End of monster-post and onto work. Am loving how busy it is here, but it does mean, it is harder to catch up with everyone. So waves and cups of tea to all!!

I forgot to add in my last post, and I guess this is more a question for wine, after you had your lap, how bad did you feel? My DH has arranged to work from home for two days afterwards, going back to work on the Friday. I am a bit worried that this isn't enough time especially if they find things that need doing at the time. I'm not bothered about looking after myself but worry that I won't be up to being dragged round walking the dogs. He has taken the advice from the pre-op nurse about being in pain for two days a bit too literally I think. Maybe I should have asked about the dogs thing. I must admit I was a bit cross with him as one extra day wouldn't have been the end of the world.
I fully expect to be told to stop making a fuss BTW

X post.
Artemis sorry you are feeling grumpy today. I really hate the sound of your neighbours and that you are having a crappy time with the NHS. Hope you have an ok today. Also, fingers crossed for your 1.5ww. Lots of hugs xxx
Pout at your dog in big boy pants. Hilarious!

Massive X-posting!

Pout stop making a fuss (and have a sneaky hug and a biscuit, while waiting for wine's answer - I am curious too, as if iui fails a few more times, we're lap&dying too).

You'll be fine princess, even if it is a bloody fanny cam (although I am really paranoid about that too). And I am sure there is no embryo-eating monster in there, although once again the thought of that makes me smile!

x-posted!

sniggers at princess "soap ouch, crisps ouch," eyes my own Dyson suspiciously and wonders when it might turn on me
Also am loving your inherited home masterbatorium If only the estate agent had put that on the particulars the vendor could have got at least another ten grand. Imagines that a home masterbatorium is a lot like adding a conservatory or building into the loft
Sympathise with the lack of loose fitting trousers. Am going on a tracksuit bottom buying mission at the weekend and reckon that Primarni will be my best bet & will have a vast array of such items, probably with words like 'hot babe' written in glitter on the bottom I have already had a mini hissy at having to buy track suit bottoms. I have an aversion to any kind of "sports" wear. I think I have an irrational fear that if I own sports equipment I might actually feel compelled to use it.

lemons at sweary and immature people not meeting the allowed to be updiffed criteria and inbetweeners only after a suitable amount of time trying!
puts the big boy pants lovingly embroidered with 'loveslemons' away with a sigh

Cripes, massive x posting.
Lemons are you sure about the monster, because I think it may also gurgle and be the reason my needing regular feeding of strawberry gelato?!
Pout I may have to sneak out and buy some Jack Wills bottoms fears being 30 is too old for Jack Wills bottoms and may look like a shifty upduffed teenager this afternoon or perhaps I should just sport high waisted and much more princess-like black skinny jeans, which can be undone and rolled to each side of tum. Primarni is also a good pointer although it makes this princess itch but is far away. A long, long time ago at Uni in 2003 I had some white bottoms tracksuit bottoms with Angel emblazoned across the bum in pink sateen and pink sateen stripes up either side of the legs. Oh yes. From Topshop. Quite the thing back then, what with J-lo sporting Juicy C tracksuits. Lots of compliments on said bottoms and 21 year old bottom. Worked a treat with my penchant for St Tropez too. As my mum would say, "Ooo if only I'd kept them they'd be right back in fashion now". DH still thinks it's hilarious that I once sported such attire. All I can do is
. Although they would have come in handy for this arvo. Dammit. I could have got my hair up into a Croydon facelift ponytail too. On that note, I've had a text from DH to say that our potatoes are coming up a treat. And back to the RW. Right, that's enough from me today!!!!! Black jeans it is xxxx

Artemis have you considered getting on the IVF waiting lit and then going private for Clomid and other options? This is kind of what we did - not because the NHS wouldn't put us on the waiting list otherwise, but because we wanted immunology testing not offered on the NHS and then ended up trying superov and now IUI through that clinic. I've been open with my NHS clinic about the othe treatment we have tried and nothing has been mentioned about that being a problem, but you could not mention it?

Good luck for your appointment today princess. I have to say, everyone of my ttc-related scans (and there have been many at this point) have been dildocams, even during my period (which always panics me a bit as I have episodes of flooding and worry about turning the room into the bloody corridor scene from The Shining.... Thankfully it hasn't happened yet).

pout your poor doggy! I had a lap years ago. I had the op on either a Thursday or Friday morning, was out the same day and then travelled 3 hrs on the coach back to Birmingham on Sunday. I took Monday off university and then went back on Tuesday, only to have an allergic reaction to something and get a rash and almost pass out! So I then ended up taking the rest of the week off. A friend who had one more recently was off work for a week. I think it might be a bit ambitious to be walking any kind of powerful dog (not sure what breed you have) by the third day, tbh. It is surgery, after all. The difficulty is that because there is not much to see on the surface, people don't realise how much has gone on inside. I remember feeling rather bruised, like I had been punched in the stomach. I'm not trying to scare you - it really wasn't that bad - but just give you some info to pass back to mr Pout!

lemon I have a similar scale. I have just found out that a smoking, hard drinking friend of mine who recently got married at 37 is trying. I just know she is going to get duffed instantly!

I have a similar dilemma about what to wear for egg collection if we get that far. Everything I own is fitted. I do have one pair of gym trousers that might do...

Loving the EC/scanning-fashion chat. You are so glamorous princess! I own loads of sports kit, so it won't be a problem. And no, pout it does not come out of the cupboard by itself to encourage you to move your body, no need to worry. Actually, now my collar bone is fairly well healed, I really ought to get out there and do something...

Yesterday by chance I was wearing a nice (toasty and feels like you are wearing a duvet, but looks nice) woolen dress for the scan. And that is totally the ticket, you get to walk from the changing corner to the stirrups looking like your usual self (with bare legs, but hey) and only after hoisting oneself up, the complete exposure happens.

As to lists and deservingness. A friend confessed they are trying and therefore she is not drinking and then DH pointed out to me, that I was a bit like that too, when we first started trying. They deserve a win... In another year or so

Btw pout have you checked the lap&dye thread? Lots of helpful info, and it sounds like you should force your DH to have the extra day off (or ask someone else to walk the dogs for you!)

Lemon Why thank you for the compliment. I like being virtually glamorous. :) Tail feather shakes in a jolly fashion Good tip on the wool dress for any stirrup action. No place to change this afternoon, says so in my letter, and apparently, no time for fafffing either, or that's the tone anyway. I do not ❤ the NHS. My BF is trying to get upduffed (since Jan). It's her birthday today and she's going to give up smoking and drinking after this weekend. I liked your so much I am going to at this. Her DH still won't give up smoking the 'erb, despite me showing her all the stats and begging her to make him stop. I know that she will be pregnant soon tho and it's the one I'm fearing the most. I love her soooo much and really hope she does get upduffed soon and I want her to be happy but I'm also terrified of how I will react / be able to congratulate her / deal with her growing bump if she does it before me. I feel really nasty for hoping that I will get there before her.....as that could be a looooooooong time yet.

euro luckily my flooding is over and done with on days 1 and 2. Poor us having to go through this. Thanks for the luck. I'll be back tonight to let you all know how it goes. Uneventful I hope.

I would just like to say, how much I love you guys on this thread. It really does make such a difference to have a whole bunch of understanding ladies to go through this with. I'm probably on here a bit more than I should be at the moment but the support is incredible and I'm finding it helps soo much. It's not nice to TTC long haul but having new friends has really helped me. I call a huge group hug and shaking of tail feathers together. Looking forward to meeting some of you next month too :) all round.

ooh, the ❤ was supposed to be a heart. However I quite like that it came out like a massive expletive.