The ongoing search for BFPs now leads the BESH to the barren polar wastes, in the footsteps of Scott, Shackleton and Franklin.

[ArielThePiraticalMermaid]

Pack those reindeer sleeping bags, huskies and skis - we're off to the Antarctic to look for our BFPs. Unlike Scott, we'll eat the poniez if necessary (topical joke). Let's huddle together through the Antarctic night and we'll try not to kidnap one of the emperor penguin toddlers for our very own. Bring on blizzards, pack ice, shipwreck, attacking leopard seals, voyages across the Southern Ocean in rowing boats and hazardous traverses of South Georgia in search of rescue - just like the Shackleton expedition, NO BESH WILL BE LEFT BEHIND.

(do I win the prize for most random fred ever?)

Hippopo! Rubber face and piggy eyes!

Hippopo? Don't even know what the fuck I meant then!

Is she actually good in her field, euro? I mean properly intelligent, rather than some sort of native cunning? Her posts just never strike me as coming from a balanced, subtle mega brain. I certainly don't think mine do either, by the way, just that there are some people whose do. And hers don't.

Fanks for the puppy and sympathy.

Working tomorrow, bed time now. Night all.

Jeepers you lot talk a lot!

euro I've never had any success baking my own GF bread. I do still have bacon sandwiches (though not quite the same), GF cake (my sister bakes wonderful GF cakes!) and pizza - for that, I rely on a company called DS. TWink it's only when you've lived with swinging between being so bunged up you're in agony and rampant diarrhoea you're willing to sacrifice really amazing tasting bread.

Rie sounds like the IUI is worth a bash. Sounds like you'll feel like you'd given everything a fair chance.

norf your Some got BFPs, some got BFNs made me :) Seems inevitable! Fwiw, a girl from the hut of doom and gloom (lives in infertility) just had two embryos transferred after several IVF attempts and they've said she's got two baybees nestling in there!

TWink you know you have my utmost sympathy. Here, have a teeny fluffy baybee penguin to cuddle!

I don't buy into this Zita West woman. She speaks basic sense about being healthy but charges a frigging fortune for her advice/vitamins. She's in it for the money, make no mistake! Also it can't all be down to a healthy lifestyle seeing as how smokers/heroin addicts/massively obese people still win baybees, often without trying

My thoughts exactly, Faif. You can't just throw money at a problem and expect it to go away - I have enough faith in the NHS to help us. Although I'm still toying with the idea of acupuncture... Maybe after the IVF appointment.

Needles have been ruddy marvellous in helping reduce my pain and cut down my painkillers! I was skeptical (but willing to try anything because my painkillers pose a risk to Pickle) and really surprised and impressed at how much it has helped.

Re acupuncture, does it have to be a fertility specialist one?

I can understand needles for pain, but aside from barrenness there's nothing to treat. Arrrrgh! I sort of want someone else to book an appointment, so I don't have to choose to do so...

I nearly bottled going. It took me literally weeks to get round to booking it. I got lost going, it was pouring rain and I was that close to cancelling....I imagine some people would say fertility specialist would be better but I suspect they will also be more expensive. I opted for a cheaper alternative - going to my local uni and seeing a student who was supervised. One free session then 5 sessions for £50 if you block booked. Considering some people charge £30-40 a session I was rather pleased with that.

That IS good.

Hmm. Might look into this too. Or maybe the feet. I love having my feet messed with.

Yes I luff the feet stuff myself but I've read that it can start contractions so no good for me at present.

Morning hags.

Evil, if you are coming to Cambridge for treatment it might be worth looking at this lady. She does feet and needles, and does a lot of fertility work. She's not the person I've been recommended, who is a friend of a friend, but I may well look at her if this first one doesn't work out.

I plan on shopping away the blues today, so Sod's law says I'll probably not find anything worth buying.

Just to warn you ladies, I may be here a lot today - I have a 2500 word assignment to write! So.....morning all.

ps. I have given up coffee as of 20 minutes ago as have worked out that it is definitely coffee that keeps giving me bloody thrush! TMI I know but if bugs can talk about being spaffed on I get to talk about my thrush :)

Wish me luck!

Oh I so shouldn't have read Xs posts. I am so angry now.

Rasp - good luck with the essay! Also I have to say, having given up coffee a few years ago and tea last year, I feel SO much better for it. You will get a really bad headache later, but after its gone you'll feel great. Promise.

Good luck with essay, rasper. I agree about giving up coffee. If you can get through the first two days, when you will have tunnel vision headaches by 3pm, it really isn't too bad. I spend a fortune on various swanky brands of posh decaf now, trying to recapture the glamour. It doesn't work.

mittens, X has really enraged me to an improbable degree. I don't mind people having different opinions on this, but I do mind when someone who seems like they should be clever is just wilfully thick.

I absolutely adore mittens as a name, by the way. I think it's is reminding me of three little kittens losing their mittens. Which is just insanely cute.

872 words down :/ this is not going as swimmingly as I had hoped! Might make some lunch, have a break then knuckle down again for a few hours and see if I can at least make it half way through before I have my workout at 5.00 pm followed by tea then wine at a friends. Luckily they only live walking distance away so we don't have to faff around with lifts/taxi's

I'm on a first aid course. WIBU to steal the Ressuci-Baby? It's quite cute.

I knew you would crack and peep, buggerlugs!

Tell you what, though, there are some jolly nice barrens on there whose stories and views I've quite enjoyed hearing.

It would be an important prop for our polar expedition, aries, in case we need to resuscitate a penguin. I think you should.

Ooh careful Rie, sounds like a gateway drug - you'll be one of those people with a lifelike fake baby that you dress up and take out for walks.. They make me so sad.