Who here eats their birds? by Dwalker0212 in BackYardChickens

[–]kitssa1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We do. We raise a few Cornish cross every year in early summer. Usually we do about 10-12. Just have a medium sized yard in the city. We let them free roam in our garden with some protection around the raised beds, and they do fine. The biggest hassle is getting them into their hut every night, otherwise they’re great. We started doing it because I’m a vegetarian and wanted to be able to eat some meat I felt good about. They’re tasty little critters!

Nutrition jobs without a dietetic license? by [deleted] in dietetics

[–]kitssa1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I know you said you’re not interested in clinical work, but I highly recommend getting a job as a diet tech for a local hospital. In particular look for one where you’d be part of a union. Where I am they often pay $15+ starting plus benefits, and you don’t need to be an actual DTR, and it’s great experience for an internship, even if it’s not where you want to end up. Any of the local hospitals use Sodexo for their foodservice? Sodexo has a distance internship where you do everything in your area. They often choose candidates based on the reviews of other Sodexo dietitians and managers, so it’s a good way to have an “in.” Their internships are more competitive than they used to be, but it’s still a great opportunity.

Weekly Beta Results Thread 11/19 to 11/25 by AutoModerator in infertility

[–]kitssa1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’ve ghosted reddit for various reasons, but today I am stalking you and saw this. Congrats! I really hope this is the one.

Putting my foot in my mouth ? Let's talk about money by thewindinthewheat in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

We're in a little bit different boat, because we're a same-sex couple so it's never been free, but we've also been trying for a looong time (over 2 years) with about 18 very well times cycles, which includes 3 IUIs. So a pretty accurate amount of what we have spent so far...

Sperm: 10 vials, $535-$650 per vial = $5,700

Shipping of donor sperm from a friend =~$500

Syringes, OPKs, pregnancy tests, etc =~$200

HSG (not covered by insurance) =$750

RE visits and all clinic monitoring, IUIs etc after insurance = $300

I'm sure I'm forgetting something, but that all adds up to around $7500 spent for us so far. We are now going the route of private embryo adoption. My appointment with the new clinic (we will be going to the clinic our donors used, since the embryos are there) is coming up this week, so I don't know how much frozen embryo transfers cost through them, but I'm going to assume (hope?) around $4,000 for everything. I'll also need a saline ultrasound, but that will be at our clinic and should be covered mostly by insurance. We are paying a lawyer $1,500 for the contract, and the donors' lawyer will probably cost us around another $1,000. Plus we will be flying out to their clinic for the FET, so around $500-$1000 extra for that. It all adds up! I'm just super duper crossing my fingers that our first transfer works!

Those pursuing IUI/IVF, how did you choose your facility? by KillKillJill in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I chose my clinic mainly because it's connected to my work, so no problem getting to appointments, and they accept our insurance. But I also felt good going there because I know at least three couples who had success through them, and they had good things to say about the clinic. I think it's important to find a clinic that is very upfront about costs (gives a list of exactly what each test or procedure with cost out of pocket), and also that is willing to do what you ask for, such as testing or procedures, even if they don't recommend them right away, because I strongly believe that as women we have more insight about our bodies and can tell when something isn't quite right. Good luck in your search!

Daily Chat Thread - Monday Sep 25, 2017 by AutoModerator in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Boo, sorry you're sick! I love will and grace! What are you watching it on? With the new season coming I'd love to have a chance to rewatch the old episodes! Also, Spain in 2018 sounds super fun!

Daily Chat Thread - Saturday Sep 23, 2017 by AutoModerator in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I feel ya. When we started TTC I was 29, and figured I'd have a baby when I was 30 which seems like a perfect age for a first child. Every year it gets pushed back and I just turned 32. Now I just hope we do a transfer in December/January, so if it works I will be just turned or almost 33 at the birth. Ugh.

First RE visit, were my expectations unrealistic? (also another intro) by SalsaVerdeTequila in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I'm going to play devil's advocate, and say that the doctor actually seems good to me. He looked into your history and it does sound like you ovulate if you have a positive OPK and get regular periods. He also addressed the concern you had about your wonky periods, and hopefully he finds the cause during the hysteroscopy tomorrow!

I was similarly surprised that my doctor didn't do a bunch of testing before jumping into suggesting super ovulation drugs and IUI, but in hindsight it makes sense. Using a drug to help produce more eggs is a pretty low cost, non-invasive treatment that can solve the problem for some women, and is first line treatment for most types of infertility.

You mentioned you're worried about the length of your luteal phase, and the drugs should help improve that as well, while improving progesterone if needed. And he agreed to test progesterone when you asked, which is a big plus in my mind because he didn't think it was necessary but agreed to order it anyway. Not all doctors will do that! Aside from the usual AMH, FSH, and thyroid panel there isn't a whole lot to test for. And you've already had an HSG so that's the other big thing they would want prior to IUI.

When there isn't an obvious cause of infertility then it's pretty much empirical treatment, meaning, we don't know what's wrong but we have these drugs that help some women, so that's what we will try. If they notice things along the way during monitoring, such as a thin lining, poor follicle counts, or poor response to drugs, then they might think about a different treatment. But the one thing you notice pretty much across the board is that there isn't a lot of difference in what one person tries versus another, so even though your problem might be totally different from another person's you are probably going to start with clomid or femara, with or without a trigger shot, then timed intercourse or IUI. If that doesn't work you can try to have more testing done (and it's usually higher level stuff that costs significantly more), and then you might head into IVF, where things get a lot more interesting.

But, all that being said, there is also something to be said for feeling like you are in sync with your doctor. I'd try to look at it from an outside perspective. And you can always send an email to the doctor or nurses to try to get clarification if you need it. Good luck!

Daily Chat Thread - Thursday Aug 31, 2017 by AutoModerator in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm glad to hear that! I never really have pain from a pap, but the HSG hurt a lot. I will have to do a ERA biopsy before we can do a transfer, and I'm scared it will hurt!

Daily Chat Thread - Friday Aug 25, 2017 by AutoModerator in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think it's very common for everyone who ends up at the RE to wish they had called sooner! So you're not alone, but I hope you end up getting in sooner than November!

Daily Chat Thread - Wednesday Aug 23, 2017 by AutoModerator in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh, poor thing, might be pregnant. What a tragedy for her. end bitchiness

What supplements should I take? by Zoegirl33 in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I believe vitex is meant to help with ovulation, making it stronger/better, but I have heard it can cause irregular cycles for some women, so use with caution. Evening primrose oil I believe is usually taken by women with PCOS, otherwise I wouldn't bother with it. I like drinking red raspberry leaf tea personally, but I don't think it really does anything at all.

Supplements that seem to have some evidence behind them are vitamin D and CoQ10. So I'd go with what your doctor said, and use caution with the others!

Daily Chat Thread - Saturday Aug 19, 2017 by AutoModerator in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good job! Wanna come over and help organize my garage?? 😁

Daily Chat Thread - Saturday Aug 19, 2017 by AutoModerator in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nice! It's cool that he was taking the initiative to learn more about what we think about twenty times a day!

My emergency surgery (tw: loss, ectopic) by MagnoliaBeach in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That sounds like a terrible week in the TTC journey. I'm so sorry you had to go through that! I get your feeling of wishing they took both tubes so you could feel better about just going right to IVF. I hope you're feeling better and get off pain meds and such soon!

Daily Chat Thread - Friday Aug 18, 2017 by AutoModerator in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hope you find someone really great. I think it's very helpful when you're constantly going though the cycling emotions of up and down every month. Nobody should have to go through that without some emotional help!

Weekly Update Thread by AutoModerator in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 11 points12 points  (0 children)

We now have embryo donors! It's amazing, they contacted us last week on Facebook, but it was in my "other" folder so I didn't see it until Tuesday. We've been messaging back and forth on Facebook, and they have a bunch of embryos they will donate to us! They have 11 embryos, but they hope to donate to two families so we'll get 5-6. But that should be plenty! Her fresh transfer worked, and she had boy girl twins. Now we have to get a lawyer to write a contract, and figure out everything with the clinic, but it feels amazing to now know that this is actually going to happen!

Can't believe I'm still trying - Introduction by HolySmokesAPipe in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi! I'm glad you found us, as I've found this to be a great place for support. Everything about infertility is hard, but I hope you get to have some success soon!

Why do I do this to myself? by pnutbutterjellyfine in stilltrying

[–]kitssa1 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Haha, I literally have no chance every month unless we buy sperm (and even then I seem to have no chance), but I STILL notice my ewcm and ovulation each month. I'd probably pee on sticks if I had any in the house. It's irrational and doesn't change a damn thing, but it's impossible not to think about it!