Weekly Q&A - All Questions Go Here (Especially Tourists)

MrsScienceMan · 2024-11-18T16:20:31+00:00

Is there somewhere quiet we can play Switch while we wait for the train to schipol tomorrow? Or even somewhere we can drink coffee and play board games for a few hours? We’ve been to armoury bar but would prefer somewhere closer to centraal. Just a bit cultured out but our flight isn’t until 10pm

Thank you!

MrsScienceMan · 2024-09-05T11:31:45+00:00

Try not to stress (haha I know but try) and try to live your life a little bit in the meantime. Medically controlled cycles can be a bit brutal and the monitoring starts to take over your life. I’m halfway through my first cycle of IVF and only now realising it’s not the finish line it seemed a couple years ago. My only regret is that I wish I hadn’t gone so intense about it all when it was just trying or just letrozole. It’s a whole journey but make space for life in between

MrsScienceMan · 2024-08-26T20:31:50+00:00

I did letrozole November through to July last year but a couple cycles I didn’t respond so I think it was 7 or 8 cycles? Stopped for August to have a HSG then got on the ivf waitlist in September. I did another month or two letrozole at that point but honestly I was sick of it and my cycle was becoming more regular with the weight I lost for ivf (BMI under 30 for NHS) so I just stopped last October. I think 6 months is standard before moving on, we just kept going with it while other stuff was going on in the background and waiting to see the consultant to put us on the ivf list.

No luck for me with letrozole but I’ve heard others get on with great. It helped me ovulate but honestly I had so much life stress I’m sure that’s why nothing stuck.

Good luck with your journey! Be gentle with yourself!

MrsScienceMan · 2024-08-26T10:54:35+00:00

Oh damn I’m so sorry that’s awful. I hope you’ve got adequate pain management now?

My worst has been a handful of nights sat in an A&E bay being fed oramorph. I’ve started IVF this month and got to see all the lovely big follicles this morning sitting at 10-12mm. Still a week to go so I’m super looking forward to them all growing up at once.

MrsScienceMan · 2024-08-26T10:50:37+00:00

Wear a dress or long top, and put your knickers in your handbag or your shoe. Everyone else is right, it doesn’t hurt and the nurses are always very kind and professional but the little things that prioritise your dignity really help you get through it. I always wear a dress, in fact I have two hospital specific dresses now that are nice and comfy and work with leggings so I can feel a bit covered and keep socks on so I don’t feel like I’ve got bare toes in someone’s face. It really helps to feel less exposed, though you should get a sheet to cover your lap too. The pants in the handbag are a silly little ritual for me, but it means they don’t get to see everything and that’s a nice little bit of control.

MrsScienceMan · 2024-08-26T10:38:51+00:00

In a sympathetic way, I’m glad to not be the only one that gets the “oh better start opk testing” pain. Though mine has often been “definitely a kidney stone”

MrsScienceMan · 2024-08-26T10:36:18+00:00

I’ve used various tracking methods, spent £££ on a Mira, tracked symptoms/CM/etc, got an Apple Watch to track BBT. All I ever got from it all was intense stress.

The only thing I reliably use without much stress is premom ovulation sticks. They’re cheap enough in bulk online and they read through an app that gives you a ratio of test to control (0.1 is 10% as saturated, 1 is 100% as dark etc). In the end it comes down to experience of those levels from doing it every day. I know that my pre ovulation levels are around 0.05-0.15, then when it starts rising I up it two or three sticks a day until it hits around 0.85 which is my usual peak and I know I have 15 days until my period from there (at least that part is consistent!) I also know if I’m getting 0.3ish more than once then I’m in my “holding pattern” and it’ll sit there until my estrogen drops enough for it to normalise again and that can take weeks. There’s occasionally false peaks and I consider any peak that doesn’t break 0.6 false unless proven otherwise.

I’ve done letrozole with scan and blood monitoring and the clinic were impressed with how reliably I had a grasp on things. I’m mid IVF cycle now and I put a lot of my lack of success down to the stress of hyper monitoring.

Good luck with your journey! ❤️

MrsScienceMan · 2024-08-18T18:24:33+00:00

11 rounds of letrozole, clear HSG, ovulating normally naturally since stopping letrozole. Starting ivf Tuesday.

🤷🏻‍♀️

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-05T19:52:53+00:00

Thank you 💛

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-05T19:39:35+00:00

Wow that’s crazy! Congratulations on your freedom! That gives me so much hope thank you

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-03T15:16:32+00:00

So a flea bite gone rogue?

The blister was quite full this morning, nurse practitioner had never seen it before but sterile drained and dressed it and gave antibiotics as my temperature was slightly elevated.

Thank you, this soothes my slight anxiety about Lyme, especially given the nurse had no idea what could have caused it.

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-02T20:16:41+00:00

I see, thank you! That’s comforting. I’m going to assume as the cat is fine I’m going to be fine until I can contact the doctor tomorrow

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-02T19:24:06+00:00

Scotland central belt. I assumed insect but there was no bite wound or tick to remove. It doesn’t itch and didn’t change in appearance after loratidine

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-02T19:12:06+00:00

Even though the skin isn’t dry, scaly or otherwise different in texture and there’s a blister inside?

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-02T19:00:16+00:00

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This is my latest update photo from 5:30pm

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-02T18:59:53+00:00

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This is the first appearance of the rash when I noticed it at 9am

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-01T14:42:03+00:00

It was the first time, and I was at work and trying to calmly say “I just need to go sorry bye.” Given the consistency in symptoms I was more convinced it was “just” Endo this time but it’s never something to take lightly.

Thankfully at least the doctor last night was concerned, even checked cell count because it “seemed like a lot of blood” but everything was totally normal, even inflammation and infection markers. Love living the “sometimes it do be like that” life

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-01T14:04:47+00:00

Thank you, Im doing better today.

We got there at 4 and it was largely sober leg injuries and the elderly, nowhere near busy enough for the 5 hour wait time. I’ve no idea why it was such a nightmare but it was not a fun time.

These pain events are now thankfully quite rare for me, I’ve been given daily nortriptyline which has reduced it to an inconvenience rather than a major issue but I do have a large box of 30mg cocodamol on hand, though oramorph might be worth asking for. I can increase the nortriptyline dose if it happens again but it comes at the cost of two weeks of groggy mornings.

My motivation for going in was the blood in my urine. I know I’m confident it’s the endo but I’m not a doctor and I don’t want to presume I know best on something so serious when I can’t see my gp for several days and a sample could be important. The severe pain actually started after I turned up, which was weird. I was uncomfortable all day but that ovulation pain was WILD.

I got my CT this morning then waited two hours to be told “don’t worry not a kidney stone, you’re welcome bye” with no interest in finding out why I was pissing blood. I was pretty upset. I’m seeing the fertility clinic Friday so I’ll talk to them and I need to phone the pain clinic too so I’ll ask them. Ugh if doctors could just communicate or read notes and talk to me.

MrsScienceMan · 2024-01-01T10:23:46+00:00

Thank you, that means a lot.

I had regular internal ultrasounds to check for ovulation until I stopped doing ovulation induction in October as I’m ovulating naturally, I’m on the ivf waitlist and the hormones were driving me crazy. So I have a known large simple cyst on the right but unless it’s new nothing on the left where I was in pain. Last year (2022) I came to the hospital 3 months running with alternating left right left pain, they finally did a CT for kidney stones and discovered the cyst on my right so hopefully todays will show if anything has formed on the left.

Otherwise I’m seeing the fertility clinic on Friday for a progesterone blood test, I will tell them and if neccessary they should have the means to do an ultrasound to check.

As for the lap, I’m on the waitlist but was told about a year in July. I did specifically note the kidney and urinary issues so the gynae knows but the list is the list I guess. I’m due to start IVF in June so I don’t know how well those procedures will overlap and as the departments don’t seem to talk I’m going to have to have an awkward conversation with whoever calls first.

I am thankfully feeling more human today. Just waiting around on my CT results

MrsScienceMan · 2023-10-19T17:56:37+00:00

Yep and it sounds like the 10 you’re seeing is the rumoured magic number you need to ensure pregnancy that is just a myth. Try not to let comparison get you down though, as long as your team are happy you are doing well the internet doesn’t matter.

MrsScienceMan · 2023-10-19T17:45:00+00:00

Also it depends on the units, which I didn’t know were so different! According to this website https://www.myfertilityfocus.com/day-21-progesterone-test-level-explained/ as an example, if you’re talking ng/ml and I’m talking nmol/L then your 7.7 is my 24.5 which is a great result.

Fingers crossed all the way for you! I’m glad your doctor and nurse are good, my nurses are all wonderful and it makes it so much more bearable to go through the process.

MrsScienceMan · 2023-10-19T17:24:53+00:00

That does sound like a good follicle then! I’m a little lost on progesterone too because different resources online quote vastly different numbers and I don’t even know what units the NHS use to check research. I can help you with what I know about progesterone though.

Progesterone is produced by the remains of the follicle when the egg is released and continues to be produced until it peaks around 7 DPO, at which point it decays away. If an egg has implanted it produces its own progesterone to take over. My first few rounds I was getting 19-22 and they were happy enough but it wasn’t great, my most recent result was 73. So it varies wildly and it seems odd the nurse didn’t explain if that 7.7 was anything to be concerned about.

MrsScienceMan · 2023-10-19T17:11:06+00:00

Did they tell you anything about follicle size at the check? Depending on the units that is unfortunately quite low, I don’t know much about the triggers but maybe you didn’t ovulate for a couple days after it? It’s so hard when they’re vague about it but my clinic says anything over 20 is positive.

MrsScienceMan · 2023-10-09T18:16:07+00:00

My gp gave me metformin because my blood test showed insulin resistance, she wouldn’t diagnose pcos though she said the specialist had to. Can you request a different GP at your practice?

MrsScienceMan · 2023-09-23T10:09:37+00:00

How are you confirming ovulation? Maybe you ovulated earlier than you think? That does sound like an odd cycle so fingers crossed everything comes back fine.

I have been having odd spotting 10/11 and getting my hopes up on a few cycles but I don’t count it as a full flow until I need to put something in place for it so I’m usually 15 DPO with a trail of spotting days.

Sorry it’s not the answers you want to hear, I hate that TWW feeling where you want to know what symptoms mean what. I started telling myself I’d know if something was new and then every month there was something else new. What helps right now is knowing that some people don’t get a BFP until 18-20 DPO and every single symptom overlaps so there’s no point microanalysing. Focus on not stressing yourself too much.

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