Santa Baby, Leave a BFP under the Tree for me <brook the Rat Smacketeers>

[SantasLittleControlGeek]

Old Fred here

Here we go Brookers, it's been a long year with lots of BFPs and newborn snuggles for the Brookers. We're just a sleigh-ride away from 2013, when the rest of us will get our get our 12 week scans (because of course we will all have BFPs under the christmas tree this year!)

So come all ye brookers, it's tinsel and baubels all the way!

Quick! Thoughts needed....

Cleaner is here.
Different cleaner to the one last time, first time she's been here, my last clean before Christmas (which is 2 fricking weeks tomorrow - argh!). I pay cash. Do I give her a Christmas tip?

Also, she was recommended by my friend so not a total unknown iyswim?

biscuits I would - you would have tipped your normal one yes? Maybe wait to see what kind of a job she does first though...

Well it is only my second clean at all. But in the past when I've had a cleaner at christmas i would have tipped. She seems to be doing a good job though.

How much should I tip if I'm paying £30 for 2 hours?

Ooh blimey I'm no good at these things - 10%? A fiver? I'd probably go with a fiver because I hate the embarrassment of handing over change!

Went with a fiver

Nice one, I imagine it will be much appreciated at this time of year biscuits!

I wish I could have a cleaner, but that would mean me tidying up regularly...

A fiver tip?!

Geek I'm afraid ill be unpopular as I'm hoping very much that we don't get snow as its a complete pain for getting to work.

I've just given my dog a bath so I'm currently being treated to evil glares and she won't come anywhere near me. She smells lovely though

Afternoon all!

sparks rubbish about you feeling rubbish, have you told anyone at work yet btw? HR or anyone like that?

geek I'm forever seeing things in shop windows and dithering then when I go back its not there - I like to think its the universe letting me know i didn't really need it

cup Noooooooo We Need Snow, in the North West, on Thursday morning so they advise everyone not to drive unless its an emergency and I don't have to go and see a horrid customer in Manchester

biscuits am jel of your cleaner, I'd love to get someone in every so often to bottom the house out but I don't trust anyone enough

Waves at cru sweetie solars griff Maybe if you're out there boo and anyone else my Monday Mind has forgotten.

Well I've been terrorising myself reading stories on the internet today about the NHS refusing to try a second IVF cycle when 1 has been abandoned due to poor response like mine, although lots of people saying they went on to have a successful 2nd cycle so I just need to step away from the internet OH would go nuts if I told him what I'd been googling

In other news I've requested some responsibilty shifting at work so I can go back to looking after some customers I actually like and boss has agreed, which will mean MUCH lower stress levels in the New Year, and I lost 4lb last week in total so Operation ProperPrepforIVFAgain is in full swing and seemingly going well so long as I stop reading shit on the internet Oh and I'm going back to Acupuncture this week, I've missed it...

ooh scarlett when do you think your next round of IVF will be? I am brooking that they will still fund it; why wouldn't they... Brilliant news on the weight loss - 4lb in a week!

I am now taking a cocktail of home remedies in the hope of plumping up my lining to increase the chance of a natural conception, but actually am going to try and think that there is no chance this month, and just enjoy the next three weeks and worry about everything next year. I am young, a month will not make a difference, i need to chill the fuck out.

biscuits we have a maid out here v cheap who comes in every day and also does all our washing and ironing. I am not sure how i will ever go back to the UK, where we have noone, and our jobs are longer hours...

cup our dog always knew when we planned to bath or brush him before we'd even said or done anything, and used to hide from us. They're so clever!

griff good luck with hassling the GP, and let us know how it goes!

Last day of work on Friday for me!

very quiet today!

nice to see you scarlet/plant excellent news on the weight loss and the prepare for IVF plan

keep can I borrow your maid for a while?

cup don't worry about wishing for no snow, MrBeedle was the same when he had to drive to work everyday - at the moment he gets the tram with me so he doesn't mind if it snows

Hi everyone - saw my GP yesterday and he agreed to write to the hospital querying their decision abt placing me on the IVF list. Received a lovely patronising letter in today's mail from my sub fertility nurse. What annoys me is if I was an alchoholic or a drug addict I'd receive immediate treatment for a health issue. It would seem our NHS doesnt reward those of us who live a healthy lifestyle. Looks like we will need to dig deep into our saving and go private. How s everyone else doing today?

griff rubbish news about the letter, but surely it came too quickly for it to be in response to your latest GP visit? I would have expected it to take at least a week (if not 6) for your GP to write and the hospital to reply.

Hi Griff I agree with Beedle I would say the letter is a coincidence your gp will send his referral in the next week or so, by the time it goes through internal snail mail it will be a few weeks before you get a reply to that. Hopefully you can get some better answers this time, your gp seems sympathetic which always helps will try and catch up properly later.

Griff Sorry about the letter, what does it actually say? not word for word but what does it indicate? I think if your GP is on the case then things might get moving a little faster!!

I'm still fully of stinky cold but Ive run out of tissues which means that I'll simply have to be well starting from.... now....

I have another scan tomorrow, and all being well, I may start to feel a little more confident (I really should now I've gone pasted the 12 week mark) soooooo I have some 'supplies' to give to any of my fellow brookers, think I have some CBFM sticks (think a couple of you use these) some OPKs, and maybe some cheapy cheap hpts as well, also have some TTC type vitamins, errrr agnus castus, EPO, Raspberry tea leaf... think thats it!! If any of you lovely ladies want these then just let me know. I really want to spread some of the love, it was after all Biscuits digital test that absolutely confirmed 100% that I'd smack the rat properly!!

Good harfternoon ladies! Only 1,260 working minutes remain to me in 2012

griff I agree with beedle and boo, that sounds like an awfully quick turnaround for the letters. If you'd like confirmation, could you perhaps ring the clinic and speak to the nurse who sent the letter, to ask if it was indeed in response to your GP's letter?

No news here, all terribly boring. It was incredibly frosty here this morning though. Still no snow forecast - cups, I promise to ask the snow bunny to keep your way to work clear but please please please Mr Snow Bunny can those of us who want it have snow in just our areas?

My kittens were so funny last winter, jumping around trying to catch the snowflakes before they landed.

My desk is all tinselled out and I am wearing antlers. I think I have managed to get myself a bit of a festive reputation with those staff who didn't already know what I was like

Most of the house is now decorated, but the trees haven't yet gone up. I was going to wait until next weekend, to start my holiday off with a bang. I think we will be lucky if the trees even stay up a week between the cats playing with them, and MrGeek shouting at the cats for playing with the trees, and me shouting at MrGeek for shouting at the cats for playing with the trees.

Afternoon all been a bit hectic and bloody freezing since getting back from holibobs. Now in mad panic to get everything Christmassy sorted, I was like a woman on a mission at the local shopping centre last night while DH put up the tree. So what have I missed?

Keep so sorry that your IUI couldn't go ahead. I have been to collect my prescription for womble lining enhancers technical term!!! today ready for AF arrival next week. I hope they give you something that can sort yours out too. Try to keep that fighting spirit and positive attitude, can I also just mention I am sssssooooooooo jealous of you having a maid!!!

Cups no snow here either but very very slippy still at 4pm on pup walking. Have you had snow yet or just doing the snow dance?

Geek am loving the sound of antlers nearly bought some for pup yesterday and our office if a tinsel-fest too. Are you going to share some photos of your tree(s) with us?

Griff I would say the letter is bad timed, and just plain BAD too. I had some shockers from our clinic, in fact I might try to photo them so you can all be appalled. They have no feelings these "people", I know they have to switch off but it costs nothing to be polite or at least civil. It makes me so

Scarlett don't forget you are a brooker and take no crap about failed cycles, you get what you are entitled to. Well done on the weight loss in preparation for you next super successful cycle. I was told at my new clinic the optimum for DE IVF (not sure if the same for all IVF) is BMI 26. Unfortunately DH is already BMI 26, so all he keeps doing everytime I pick up a biscuit wine, mince pie, wine, chocolate, gin & tonic, yule log, wine he gives me a knowing look and mutters 26. Slap him you say - hmmm let me think about that, oh OK!!!

So as for me, well we had blood results to come back to which have confirmed both DH & I are CMV negative. This may be an issue as the majority of donors, 80%, are CMV positive. CMV is some virus, like chicken poxes, that you may get in your youth but not even realise as it has cold/flu like symptoms but remains in your system for life. If you get it when preggers it can be bad for baby. So have a mismatch donor carries a risk I would get the virus if using a CMV positive donor. So we don't know how much longer the wait will be for a negative donor, but need to ask the clinic as one could just pop up. Every turn brings up a new dilemma as we could take the risk and be fine.

So we have decided to go for a dedicated donor, when our chance comes up. As we don't know how long we would have to wait for another matching donor, plus there is always the possibility of a further try with more eggs, either for a sibling if first is success or just another go if unsuccessful.

Still very positive and happy that all is going in the right direction-ish. So all good.

WHAT DO WE WANT???
WHEN DO WE WANT THEM?

come on ladies we haven't have a chant for ages

WHAT DO WE WANT???
WHEN DO WE WANT THEM?

POSITIVE PEE STICKS

NOW!!!!!

I'm loving the optimum BMI = 26 sweetie - I've just calculated mine and I'm 25.1/25.2 depending on which site I use. Unfortunately anything over 25 is still officially overweight and I have yet to reach WW goal. I wish I had set my goal at just inside the healthy range instead of 9st 5lb

sparks best you hang on to the raspberry leaf tea my lovely - you will be needing that in 6 months time to prepare for your sneeze birth

Argh no time to write more - sorry for not name checking!

Hey thanx for the comments everyone - yeh te letter was just to back up the bad news from last week. It was just horrible to see it written down - telling me there is nothing wrong with me and that they cannot help me any further. They are quite confident if I keep trying it will happen -arghhh Month 27 and I fail to have any hope or enthusiasm. I take my hat off to each and everyone of you - always full of support and positivity - thank you

Oh griff how frustrating for you. I know what you mean - come on, there MUST be a problem or we would have conceived by now. They're just not looking hard enough/at the right thing. But you have your gp on the case now, so hopefully at least you can be put on the waiting list so that as soon as you hit the three year mark you can get IVF. We're all here, waiting, sitting it out with you.

sweetie great choice on the dedicated donor, i am brooking you get loads and loads of eggs so can have a football team (one after the other, not as octo-mum) if you so desire. But argh at the CMV. It's just one thing after another, isn't it!

sparks let us know how the scan goes today. Is this your NHS nuchal scanny one? Good luck, and just enjoy seeing twinkle. So happy for you. I won't take you up on the ttc goodies from your drawer, as am far far away...

as for me, well apparently the thin lining is reversible, so should be ok next cycle. they measured it on my natural october cycle and it was fine, so it's just a side effect of clomid. a known one, but still annoying when it happens to you. I think we are going to give IUI another shot with letrozole in january, and then February, and then move to IVF in March/April, in order that we can fit in two cycles before the end of July, should we need to (WHICH WE WON'T).

i am not listening to sweetie and scarlett on optimum bmi. I am on 18.9 which is normal (above 18.5) and trying to get up to 20 but it's just not happening. ARGH.

geek love your countdown to christmas. not long now!

beedle am hoping that AF is staying well away. That would be amazing for you to get a christmas BFP this week. Are you going to test or wait it out?

face if you're there i hope you are not stressing and getting to enjoy the pre-wedding stuff. i loved that part. is the date the 22nd? are you started on the steroids already? hope no side effects.

sparks good luck with the scan today - is this the official "12 week" scan? Give twinkle a wave from us

sweetie how annoying about the CMV thing, but it sounds like a good plan to go for a dedicated donor, hope you don't have to wait too long.

keep actually I tested yesterday it was obviously tooo early But now I'm in a dilemma about testing tomorrow. I have soem Cb digitals that I bought when we started TTC, but have never used as i have never been more than about 1 day late, and they go out of date this month. Do I use one tomorrow or save them, knowing that if I save them I will never believe what they say cos they're out of date. But I think a test that says not pregnant would be more disappointing than a lack of a second line - no idea why really

And in other crap news MrB has an early morning meeting tomorrow so needs to postpone his JIAJ till after Xmas, I said it was OK as its pointless him trying to do it if he's going to be stressing about getting it done and dropping it off and getting to his meeting on time. Plus he's at a Xmas do tonight so i'm sure a hangover wouldn't help. I've told him he has to book the new time when he cancels this one.

Oh and cups I'll try to keep the snow here

oh mrbeedle Yes, i'm sure there's enough stress involved without the timing issues as well. Is there any chance he organised the meeting on purpose...? I wonder if he could squeeze it in before christmas though, here's brooking!

If i were you i most likely not test, as i agree that testing is too depressing. Also, those tests may say they're out of date, but will still work really. When would you have expected AF? Are you actually late yet? how about testing friday at the weekend if she's not arrived, but otherwise not? But then some people test all the time and aren't too bothered, so it depends how you feel.

i never really trust sell by dates, but having said that the other day i took a slug of milk that had about 5 days till its date and it was off and i almost vommed in the sink. We have the milk out on the breakfast table each morning. Yes, that's about 15 mins a day in 30 degrees, but surely it couldn't go off that fast??? Off milk is soooo gross. Off CBDs? well, i don't see why they would stop working really, but then, what do i know.

2.5 days left in my job!!

Usually I'm fine about testing and don't remember to look at the pee stick for about 30 mins. I'm on CD23 today so hopefully AF won't come before friday anyway - though tomorrow wouldn't be that unusual. Though I think I might agree with you how can a pee-stick go off?! but I think i'll add some first response tests to my next amazon order just to be on the safe side

ah, well then in that case yesterday's test was far too early, you silly moo
save it for saturday then!

ok, high on the brooking agenda at the moment we have
-Cru, having SIS and FET
-griff, getting her IVF appointment sped up
-beedle, bfp on saturday
-me, that my lining plumps up ready for ov, to give some hope this month
-sweetie, that a suitable donor comes up on 1st Jan or so
-solars, for the lap on Friday: good luck!
-face, that steroids don't give her a fat face
-scarlett, that ivf happens soon soon soon soon, with no PCT delays or wriggles

whew! what have i missed!